Normally I'd put this in the podcast thread but it fits in here better.
As the Cylons say we've done all this before and will do it again.
Admittedly I am a big fan of FDR. Nice to hear from someone who isn't and what he has to say is so currently applicable it's ridiculous.
A 50 minute history geekout. I had it on headphones while I was landscaping
Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan released fresh details about the close collaboration between the Biden White House and Amazon to deplatform books they deemed 'sensitive' - as White House officials insisted they never 'coerced' private companies.
On March 2, 2021, White House advisor Andrew Slavitt reached out to Amazon. 'Who can we talk to about the high levels of propaganda and misinformation or disinformation at the White House?'
Amazon initially resisted White House pressure to restrict anti-vaccine material.
'We will not be doing a manual intervention today,' one email between Amazon executives read. 'The team/PR feels very strongly that it is too visible, and will further compound the Harry/Sally narrative (which is getting the Fox News treatment today apparently), and won't fix the problem long-term … because of customer behavior associates.'
And ahead of a March 9, 2021 meeting between the White House and Amazon officials, a 'pre-brief' email to Amazon employees emphasized a 'top talking point': 'Is the admin asking us to remove books, or are they more concerned about search results/order or both?'
But the very day of the meeting Amazon immediately adopted a 'do not promote' category for anti-vaccine books listed on its website.
'The impetus for this request is criticism from the Biden administration about sensitive books we're giving prominent placement to, and should be handled urgently,' an Amazon official wrote in an email to other staffers.
In another internal email, an Amazon official expresses urgency in making the changes to shadow-ban anti-vaccine content 'due to criticism from the Biden people.'
'The next 4 months of vaccine response/adoption are going to be critical,' the official writes.
They suggested removing the books from sale entirely, because 'search data shows customers who buy this content are looking for specific books and using high intent queries, which means customers will likely continue to consume this content in spite of our warnings.'
By March 12, Amazon wanted to take further steps to crack down on anti-vaccine books because they were 'feeling pressure from the White House Taskforce.'
Amazon wasn't alone in bending to the Biden administration's wishes to deplatform content that could sow doubt about the Covid-19 vaccines - Twitter, now X, and Facebook felt the heat too.
Jordan went after Slavitt and Rob Flaherty, a key White House communications staffer, in a censorship hearing on Wednesday.
