CNN’s David Zurawik Goes Viral in Rant Hyperventilating About Twitter Takeover: Can’t Let Musk and Zuckerberg ‘Control Discourse’ or We’re ‘Headed to Hell!’
CNN contributor David Zurawik sounded the alarm over Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase as he warned of dire implications if sociopolitical discourse were to fall under Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s control without stringent regulation.
Zurawik joined Brian Stelter on Sunday to discuss what Musk’s takeover will mean for the social media platform, and argued that the “bigger problem” than Musk’s personality is “how we are going to control the channels of communication in this country?”
“In 1927 we had the Radio Act, 1934 the Communications Act. Congress stepped in. We made rules,” Zurawik said. “The FCC wasn’t great but it’s still regulating the broadcast industry. You can’t use vulgar language and do all of these things with speech. We gave over what amounts to our airwaves or internet waves to Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, and we are in so much trouble because those guys believe in making money.”
Zurawik made his point by referring to how Zuckerberg allowed Russian political groups to purchase ads on Facebook and sow chaos during the 2016 election. After predicting a dispute between Musk and the FCC, Zurawik warned “This is dangerous! We can’t think anymore in this country!”
“I’m serious! We don’t have people in Congress who can make regulations, that can make it work. I think we can look to the Western countries in Europe for how they are trying to limit it,” he said. “But you need controls on this. You need regulation. You cannot let these guys control discourse in this country, or we are headed to hell! We are there. [Former President Donald] Trump opened the gates of hell, and now they’re chasing us down!”
Zurawik’s remarks wound up taking off on Twitter — where the clip has already racked up hundreds of thousands of view. Reactors were concerned with his support for “censorship” and regulated speech:
They want “regulation” and, of course, they intend to be the “regulators.” https://t.co/voMGRvbLvy
— Alberto Miguel Fernandez (@AlbertoMiguelF5) May 1, 2022
Also not great for the discourse: Hyperventilating about unknowable future outcomes https://t.co/4WnI0oiaXb
— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) May 1, 2022
I’ll keep pointing it out: the leading agitators and activists for censorship are employees of media corporations — in part because they believe only they can be trusted to speak, in part to eliminate competition as they collapse.@ElonMusk has forced them to say it explicitly: https://t.co/B8cgM4hYyg
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 1, 2022
The man in this CNN clip is alarmed that government is not exercising more control over speech. I find his views a greater threat to democracy than the tech companies he fears. https://t.co/GrmcaVQJmG
— Conor Friedersdorf (@conor64) May 1, 2022
I am tired of these theocrats trying to shove their religious beliefs down our throats https://t.co/ONsdDiMR4F
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) May 1, 2022
If you think U.S. speech codes need to resemble Europe’s, you’re not for the First Amendment. You’re for censorship. The American people are tired of being gaslit by dishonest media brokers.
Why regulating social media is altogether bad, no matter what side it’s coming from. https://t.co/bepTu8UJuu
— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) May 1, 2022
The change from “oh quit whining lol” to “twitter controls discourse!!” in Dem media didn’t even have a transition period. Instantaneous. https://t.co/H2uRbtZkUi
— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) May 1, 2022
.@davidzurawik is a fascist. He’s upset that someone who isn’t as leftwing as he is might influence news. https://t.co/7gXjGE8yuV
— Dan Gainor (@dangainor) May 1, 2022
A press corps that advocates the regulation of speech is a press corps that will ensnare itself to authoritarianism willingly. https://t.co/OwDmm5iEWB
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) May 1, 2022
Watch above, via CNN.
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