An outspoken Twitter activist critical of Donald Trump who brags about being on “team” Hillary Clinton is a supposedly independent expert who approves and recommends organisations to become Facebook fact-checkers. Facebook fact-checkers have extraordinary powers to censor news stories they disagree with, demonetize news organisations and ban news outlets entirely. The process of becoming a fact-checker is described as “non-partisan” by Facebook but a Sky News Australia investigation has uncovered disturbing evidence of political bias and lack of accountability at the top levels of the certification process.International Fact-Checking Network certifier and American University School of Communication professor Margot Susca is unashamedly politically biased but she was responsible for issuing 19 recommendations for organisations to become fact-checkers. This includes the Associated Press, Check Your Fact, Decrypteurs, Lead Stories, Media Wise and The Dispatch. Ms Susca has appeared on propaganda network Russia Today to criticise President Trump and has tweeted that it would be a “dereliction of duty” to broadcast his speeches. In 2019 Ms Susca posted a happy snap with failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton where she admitted “I’ve been on Team Hillary since 08 tbh” and said she was disappointed her likability did not resonate with the public in 2016. “My boyfriend was her nuclear policy fellow for a year when she was in the Senate,” she wrote. “Says she’s the smartest, wittiest, most likeable person. It just never came through I guess. So f—ing sad.” Ms Susca also retweeted content that said: “A projected Joe Biden Win won’t erase the racism shown by Donald Trump and embraced by nearly half of the country’s electorate.”In one of her several appearances on Russia Today, Ms Susca, admits that she cannot be objective about President Trump. “It is hard for me to be an objective observer of this presidential administration when for years now they have continuously tried to delegitimise and marginalise news reporters for doing their constitutionally protected job,” Ms Susca said. However, despite her public political activism Ms Susca holds a key role within the International Fact-Checking Network process which allows her to approve and recommend fact-checking licenses to the International Fact Checking Network Board which formally grants the licence. Ms Susca was also the person who assessed and recommended the grant of a licence to become a fact checker to Australia’s left-wing opinion website The Conversation in May, 2018. That license has since expired. Sky News Australia asked Ms Susca a series of questions about whether the public could have faith in her ability to be objective or whether she felt appearing on Russia Today hurt her credibility. Ms Susca described the questions as “threatening”.
In this country, we control our own bodies. They’re always telling us that. But now the rules have changed. On the question of the coronavirus vaccine, our leaders are definitely not pro-choice. Their view is, “Do what you’re told and don’t complain.” No uncomfortable questions. Those aren’t just suggestions, they’re rules, and Silicon Valley plans to enforce them.
Twitter has announced a new policy to censor any unauthorized inquiry about the vaccine or, as the company put it, “false or misleading narratives about COVID-19 vaccinations.” Among other things, Twitter is censoring any claim that this vaccine might be used to “control populations.”
So whatever you do, don’t say this is social control. If you do, the richest, most powerful people in the world will act in perfect coordination to shut you down immediately. To repeat: There is no social control going on here, but if you suggest otherwise, Twitter will censor you.
In addition, Facebook has now decided it must “build demand for vaccination in communities worldwide” by sharing “reassuring information” about getting the vaccine.
Mark Zuckerberg was a tech tycoon. Now he’s a professional marketer who gets to control the conversation about the product he’s selling. Facebook has announced it will squelch “any misinformation” it sees about this vaccine. (Fox News)
