Early in December, Project 21 — an organization that aims to elevate Black conservative and libertarian voices — sent a letter to Twitter owner Elon Musk requesting a meeting to discuss free speech on the embattled social media platform.
This came days after the NAACP, National Urban League and National Action Network requested a meeting of their own to curb what they describe as a rampant rise in White supremacy on Twitter. The claims made by these groups are without merit and most likely motivated by a failure to maintain ideological control over Twitter.
The letter expressed Project 21’s support for Musk’s vision of a “digital town square” that allows citizens to exchange their opinions online. While Musk’s goal of a free and fair social media platform has enraged Americans on the left, as more information is released regarding the partisan internal corruption at Twitter, it is clear that the abuses were extensive and that reform is needed.
Publicly released documents known as “The Twitter Files” vindicate many on the right who were decried as all but deranged when they claimed Twitter was censoring their content.
For example, Dan Bongino, a prominent conservative voice and host of “Unfiltered” on Fox News, had his account shadow-banned by Twitter. The same can be said for Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk, whose account was censored multiple times in the last five years without explanation. The Twitter Files now prove these claims of unfair treatment were justified.
But it gets worse. After the newest release of the Files, we now know that the actions weren’t made by rogue mainline Twitter employees. It was Twitter’s leadership. Turns out there was a direct correspondence between senior Twitter executives and the Democratic National Committee and the Biden campaign in the lead-up to the 2020 election. The executives agreed to “handle” potentially damaging facts that were revealed about Hunter Biden and his laptop. One consequence was the October 2020 New York Post laptop story being suppressed on the platform.
The political effect was quite substantial. The Technometrica Institute of Policy and Politics released a survey in August showing that 79 percent of respondents believed that “truthful” coverage of the laptop story would have changed the outcome of the 2020 election.
Project 21 seeks to meet with Musk to ensure that Twitter maintains its commitment to free expression. Free expression on the site will have a long-term effect on Black Americans. Conservative voices of Blacks like Candace Owens (suspended in 2018), Brandon Tatum and Second Amendment advocate Colion Noir likely will allow their voices to bring their center-right messages — unencumbered by authoritarian censorship — to a Black population that continues to shift further to the right.
It’s no wonder the NAACP is attempting to paint Twitter as a White supremacist haven. Unfortunately, the revelations of Twitter’s suppression have not drawn the ire of Americans on both sides of the aisle. History has shown repeatedly that speech suppression — in any form — is a tool used by those who seek to hold power and force their opposition into submission.
While those on the left will continue to raise a ruckus watching their prized political tool get a much-needed facelift, Americans — no matter what party they vote for — will benefit greatly.
Society operates best when ideas can be freely exchanged without fear of censorship, shadow-banning or doxxing. Musk’s aggressive action to overhaul Twitter is a great start, but we still have a long way to go to undo the damage other media and social media outlets have done to public discourse.
