There are concerns that the barons of the Information Revolution, much like the barons of the Industrial Revolution, are exploiting their content producers at an unsustainable clip, and creating a very dangerous bottleneck in the world of free speech. Given just how much of the internet’s traffic flows through just a few sites, it is imperative that we keep a keen eye on what platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are doing.  They are the new gatekeepers of nearly the entire breadth of current information, and if they were to choose to keep us in the dark on any particular issue, it would be quite easy for them to do so. That’s why the latest news from YouTube is so terrifying. YouTube said Sunday it had barred Sky News Australia from uploading new content for one week, citing concerns about Covid-19 misinformation. The move comes after a review of posts uploaded by the Rupert Murdoch-owned TV channel, which has a substantial online presence. “We have clear and established Covid-19 medical misinformation policies… to prevent the spread of Covid-19 misinformation that could cause real-world harm,” a YouTube statement said. With 1.86 million YouTube subscribers, the channel — which is owned by a subsidiary of Murdoch’s News Corp — has a conservative following well beyond Australia. The mainstream media and the mainstream social networks haven’t always gotten their COVD info right, either, which makes their declarations regarding “misinformation” all the more laughable. Early on in the pandemic, these platforms pushed back against the possibility that the virus itself may have been a part of some sort of lab leak, even going so far as to censor any such discussion.  Over a year later, and as health experts began to suggest this yes, this was truly a possibility, the premature nature of…

When it comes to the heated and prolonged debate that this nation has been having on the subject of vaccines, it is just about impossible to say something that won’t offend somebody. This is the Coke versus Pepsi of the 2020’s; the Yankees/Red Sox of medicine.  There is no grey area, and there is no middle ground. And, if you had any doubt about what side of the argument CNN anchors Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo were on, you needn’t worry any longer. Anchor Don Lemon said, “I still am flummoxed by the misinformation over the vaccine, people refusing to get vaccinated and also refusing to wear masks. Every day seems like it gets worse. And I don’t mean that. I mean the people who are dying, who are actually coming down with it, especially the children… I mean, just heartbreaking.” And then came the insults… Cuomo said, “People seen with significant cases and hospitalizations are getting younger. Part of the metric here is ignorance, but part of it is also arrogance, this misplaced sense of righteous indignation, and resistance that they believe is a false manifestation of freedom. This is not an issue of freedom. Of course, you have freedom to make choices about your own body. Let’s put to the side the irony that so many of these people don’t want to afford that freedom to women. But what we’re saying is, does it mean it’s the right choice? And these suggestions, I think the vaccine is safe, but you have the freedom to take it, but I don’t know that the science lines up, but I don’t know why they’re changing the guidance. These suggestions feel resistance. I think it’s a mistake.” Vaccine hesitancy is believed to account for a majority of the unvaccinated population in America today.