NBC News' attempt to demonetize the Federalist website is illiberal insanity

David Harsanyi
National Review
Wed, 17 Jun 2020 16:55 UTC

© Reuters / Mike Blake

NBC offices

NBC News reported today that two sites, ZeroHedge and the Federalist, had been banned from generating revenue through widely-used Google Ads. A Google spokesperson initially told NBC News that "took action after determining the websites violated its policies on content related to race."

I don't know much about ZeroHedge, but the contention that the Federalist (where I worked as a senior editor from 2013 to 2019) is "far-right," as reporter Adele-Momoko Fraser claims twice in her piece, is utter nonsense. The Federalist publishes a wide variety of opinions. Some pieces are more provocative than others. Some are very provocative. So what? NBC News is trying to make the site sound like the Daily Stormer, when in fact it has contributions from well-known mainstream libertarians, social conservatives, and moderate Republicans. All of the content falls well within normal parameters of contemporary political discourse — which is exactly what outlets such as NBC News are trying to shut down.

(L) A screenshot from https://thefederalist.com; A screenshot from Twitter / zerohedge

Once upon a time, news outlets fought to protect the ideals of free expression. Now, they assign activists masquerading as journalists, and boost Orwellian-sounding outfits (what is the "NBC News Verification Unit"?), to try and smear and censor those who criticize them.

Neither NBC News nor Google offered a single example backing up their contention that the Federalist has peddled racist sentiments about Black Lives Matter. As far as I can ascertain, their problem is with one piece:

The Federalist published an article claiming the media had been lying about looting and violence during the protests, which were both included in the report sent to Google.

There is plenty of justification for the offending argument. Major networks have consistently downplayed the rioting and looting that have taken place over the past few weeks because such activity undermines the notion that Black Lives Matter is wholly peaceful. You may disagree with the characterization, but it's certainly not bigoted. Black Lives Matter shouldn't be shielded from criticism. No one should be.

Here, it would appear, is the piece in question, written by John Daniel Davidson. Not one word of it is racist.

As it turns out, a Google spokesperson told Ad Week that NBC News got the story wrong, and that Google only notified the Federalist they "could" be demonetized, and that it was the site's comments section that was in violation. Then Google told Ad Week that the site would be demonetized, but that the Federalist could rectify the situation. Both comments contradict the initial statement made by the Google spokesperson, not to mention the entire NBC story.

Would Google really demonetize sites over their comment sections? Has such a standard ever been used for a political website?

Whatever the case, it's clear now that NBC News was trying to have the Federalist demonetized. Unequipped to offer a compelling case on her own, Adele-Momoko Fraser appealed to authority by pointing to the alleged expertise of a previously unknown British group calling itself the "Center for Countering Digital Hate." A quick scan of the site will illustrate that the group relies on unsubstantiated Internet trolling as a basis for its "reports." It looks as if the site is manned by one person, named Imran Ahmed, who seems to believe that Microsoft and Ford are also part of the white-supremacist conspiracy. It's embarrassing that NBC News would rely on information given by such a transparently ideological and amateurish organization to censor anyone.

Where are all the other journalists banding together to defend the ideals of free expression and the First Amendment? So far, nowhere. The Left's illiberal impulse to quash opinions it dislikes is getting increasingly brazen — and dangerous. And it won't stop here.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer for National Review and the author of First Freedom: A Ride through America's Enduring History with the Gun. Follow @davidharsanyi

Comment: Senior Federalist journalist Mollie Hemingway fires back:

Wider commentary reported by RT:

Google confirmed the Federalist was never actually demonetized in a tweet after NBC updated its article. However, the original version of NBC's article cited a Google spokesperson clearly stating "we've removed both sites' ability to monetize with Google," explaining that both sites "violated its policies on content related to race."

While it's impossible to tell without a link, the Federalist specifically called out NBC for directing its reporters not to use the word "riot" to describe the violent unrest unfolding in Minneapolis in the days following George Floyd's killing - an act which might have triggered the network's wrath.

The deplatforming raised more than a few eyebrows on social media as commenters wondered when it became acceptable journalistic practice to rat out one's competitors for insufficient wokeness.

Some questioned when Google had begun demonetizing sites over the content of their comment sections - a policy that would seem to fly in the face of Section 230 protections, which don't only apply to giant tech platforms.

A handful of threats ominously suggested the Daily Caller was "next."

The conservative outlet filmed and reported on Washington DC rioters' attack on an NBC news crew just after midnight on June 3 - something the channel itself conspicuously avoided doing, going out of its way to avoid mentioning the violent interruption to what was otherwise reportedly a peaceful night.