If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The social media platform X has announced a new partnership with several notable names‚ including former CNN anchor Don Lemon‚ Tulsi Gabbard‚ the renowned Army Reserve officer‚ veteran‚ four-term congresswoman‚ and 2020 presidential candidate‚ and sports talk show host Jim Rome. According to the platform‚ this collaboration marks a significant step in the platform’s commitment to promoting diverse voices and perspectives. X’s official statement highlights the essence of this partnership with Gabbard: “We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Tulsi Gabbard! She will be sharing her unique [point of view] through an exclusive series of documentary-style videos and broader content on X.” And of Don Lemon: “We’re delighted to announce a new content partnership with @DonLemon for his new project‚ The Don Lemon Show. The award winning TV journalist will share his unique and honest voice in 30 minute episodes‚ three times a week‚ covering politics‚ culture‚ sports and entertainment.” And of Jim Rome: “Renowned sports commentator @JimRome will be bringing his wildly popular content to digital video‚ for the first time ever. The show will stream exclusively on X‚ five days a week‚ starting after the Super Bowl.” Tulsi Gabbard‚ known for her outspoken stance on free speech and her political career‚ expressed her enthusiasm for this new venture. In her statement‚ she emphasized the importance of free speech‚ especially in the current social climate where debate and dissent are often suppressed. “Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in America‚” Gabbard said. “Sadly‚ we live in a time where debate‚ dialogue‚ and dissent can be cause for cancellation and censorship by those in power.” Don Lemon said that he was pleased to join X‚ due to the lack of “hall monitors.” Lemon “parted ways” with CNN after being reprimanded after saying presidential candidate Nikki Haley was not “in her prime” – saying for that to be the case she would have to be “in her 20s‚ 30s and maybe her 40s.” When asked if he meant “prime for childbearing or…prime for being president‚” Lemon said: “Don’t shoot the messenger‚ I’m just saying what the facts are.” In a statement‚ Lemon said “…you’ll find it first on X‚ the biggest space for free speech in the world. I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning so stay tuned.” Gabbard will focus on a series of short films that promise to shed light on the truth of what’s happening in America and the world – stories that‚ according to her‚ are often overlooked by those in power. Under the leadership of Elon Musk‚ X has been positioning itself as a bastion of free expression‚ which is significantly more free than under previous ownership‚ though this has been sometimes rocky. The post X Announces Exclusive Deals With Tulsi Gabbard‚ Don Lemon‚ Jim Rome appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The American Psychological Association (APA) is among those organizations enlisted to join the “war on misinformation” back in 2021‚ when APA took a $2 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help push the Covid narratives of the time. APA’s particular task there was to come up with “a scientific consensus statement on the science of misinformation.” Now‚ APA is clamoring for even more federal money as it declares psychology to be “leading the way on fighting misinformation” and advertises psychologists as the right people to research the problem (as it has been presented over the last years)‚ and also be “part of the solution.” An article on APA’s site doesn’t shy away from using terminology that spreads a sense of alarm‚ such as “the scourge of misinformation” and asserting that clinicians now have to treat patients “subsumed” by conspiracy theories‚ while institutions and communities are all allegedly suffering unspecified “harm.” And APA also doesn’t shy away from mentioning the US presidential election‚ or from positioning that event as something that makes combating misinformation “messier and more important than ever.” Messy it is‚ alright. To position itself properly among all those vying for funding/influence by exaggerating the threat posed by misinformation as a new phenomenon‚ APA actually states that‚ with the election in mind‚ fighting misinformation is “one of the top trends facing the field (physiology) in 2024.” Really‚ APA? Maybe the author meant – a top trend faced by the organization itself‚ since it has had to show something in return for the $2 million 2021 CDC grant given to it to research “the science of stopping misinformation.” (Spoiler: that “science” is already well-developed and applied; it’s called censorship.) Beside the general alarmist tone‚ APA also came up with “recommendations.” First‚ shut up – “don’t repeat misinformation.” Next‚ leverage “trusted sources to share accurate information.” At this point APA is pretty much parroting Big Tech’s various “guidelines” that have justified a lot of legitimate information getting obliterated over the past years as (never precisely and objectively defined) “misinformation.” The “recommendations” address fellow physiologists‚ urging them to become “literate” in this newly crafted “science” – in order to be able to take active part in “the solution.” According to APA’s current standards‚ helping people (as psychology professionals) should now include the total of eight recommendations (prominent and fairly ominous‚ free speech-wise‚ among which is – “collaborate with social media companies to understand and reduce the spread of harmful misinformation”). And practitioners should do this everywhere – “(in) our labs‚ our communities‚ or our families.” The post The American Psychological Association Wants (More) Federal Funding To Curb Online “Misinformation” appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Highlighting the tension between free speech and over-sensitivity in workplace discussions‚ a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employee in the UK faced disciplinary action for expressing views during an online event about transgender issues. The event‚ held on March 11‚ 2021‚ was an International Women’s Day discussion titled “What trans is and some of the issues faced‚” featuring a transgender woman civil servant. Participants were encouraged to ask questions via an online chat. According to an initial report by The Telegraph‚ the controversy began when the civil servant‚ a lesbian woman‚ questioned the concept of trans women identifying as lesbians‚ expressing confusion over the alignment of sexual and gender identity. Further‚ she expressed discomfort with the controversial term “cis” and raised concerns about the inclusion of trans women in women’s sports‚ questioning the underlying assumptions about gender. “Cis” is a term that the transgender community use to refer to non-transgenders. The report states her remarks included‚ “One of the things I struggle to understand as a lesbian myself is‚ how can trans women be lesbian as lesbian is same sex attracted‚ not gender?” – “I find the term cis very offensive‚” “Sport is segregated because there is a difference‚” and “What if you don’t believe in gender? I don’t.” In the same discussion‚ the employee made a statement advocating for the consideration of diverse perspectives: “I think it’s useful to hear both sides of a subject.” However‚ a DWP investigator found this remark “inappropriate‚” stating the event was not intended as a debate platform. The investigation concluded with the employee receiving an official warning for violating the department’s behavior policy and harassment rules. Particularly‚ the use of the phrase “drink the kool aid” in response to arguments supporting trans women in women’s sports was deemed offensive‚ due to its origin in a tragic mass suicide event. Additionally‚ the employee’s insistence on centering International Women’s Day around biological women and her reaction to being called a “Terf [Trans exclusionary radical feminists]” in all caps‚ were found inappropriate. The DWP declined to comment on the specific case. The post UK Civil Servant Warned for Remarks on Trans Debate in Online Meeting appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech‚ freedom from surveillance‚ and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here The post The TVs That Watch You Back: Unveiling the Growing Surveillance Risks Lurking in Your Smart TV appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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In the enchanting realm of the animal kingdom‚ friendships often blossom in the most unexpected ways. It’s not unusual to witness dogs befriending cats or other diverse species forming bonds. This phenomenon was beautifully captured in a heartwarming video featuring a doe‚ her fawn‚ and an unlikely companion – a chipmunk. The video‚ which quickly... The post Chipmunk sees doe and fawn and ‘invites’ them to eat with him in most adorable way appeared first on Animal Channel.

Christiane Amanpour welcomed CNN colleague and senior political analyst John Avlon onto her Monday show that is aired in the U.S. on PBS to discuss President Joe Biden’s latest speeches. In Avlon’s world‚ Biden is fighting the dark forces of “white supremacy” and “Christian nationalism.” Ironically‚ he also believes that it is important for journalists to be more activist as currently there “is an assault on truth.” On Biden’s speech at Mother Emanuel Church‚ Avlon first recounted the church’s history‚ “I think‚ a relatively renewal of an old idea that we've debated in the United States‚ often with violence‚ unfortunately‚ which is the resistance that exists to a multiracial democracy that characterized the run up to the Civil War‚ certainly‚ but especially reconstruction and the violence around overturning Jim Crow.”     That was surely a reference to the 2015 mass shooting by a white supremacist‚ but Avlon continued and sought to smear great numbers of people‚ “we see it in more benign and politicized forms to this day. And I think that's what Joe Biden -- President Biden was speaking to. In many ways‚ it's a companion to a speech at Valley Forge just a few days ago‚ kicking off his campaign where he said this is about defending democracy. I think this puts a finer point on it.” Avlon added‚ “One of the great obstacles to the fulfillment of democracy's ideal in the United States is white supremacy‚ is white nationalism‚ is‚ in some cases‚ Christian nationalism when it is combined with a racial animus as we've seen too many times. And sometimes you've got to listen carefully to hear those strains. But if you know your history‚ if you're willing to confront it clearly‚ then all becomes more evident.” Since he was devoid of examples‚ it appears Avlon was just throwing around buzz words to scare people. People can agree that white supremacists who conduct mass shootings at black churches are evil people‚ but by going on about “benign” forms of the same ideology‚ Avlon seeks to tie people who are not white supremacists to the shooter. Avlon’s partisan ramblings are noteworthy not just because they are partisan ramblings‚ but because he insists that his fellow journalists must echo him‚ as he later claimed‚ “We have a fundamental responsibility. And I think it's a civic responsibility that connects journalists‚ but also citizens. There is an assault on truth that has been going on for several years.” What about the idea that white supremacy is prominently found in “benign” forms? No‚ Avlon simply meant Donald Trump‚ “It is fomented and crystallized often by Donald Trump's lies‚ and they need to be called that‚ but they're amplified via social media‚ which amplifies often the most conspiracy theorist version of events‚ the most confrontational version of events‚ amplifies people who played the base.” Further lamenting the media has lost its gatekeeping abilities‚ Avlon proclaimed: You know‚ I think the days of gatekeepers and Walter Cronkite saying ‘that's the way it is’ are long gone‚ but that's exactly why I think we need to strengthen guardrails around our democracy‚ guardrails around democratic norms. We need to call out lies for what they are as we simultaneously recognize that Trump and the drift towards hyper-partisan media and maybe a fragmentation via social media has been successful in selling outright lies to people who are susceptible to that kind of confirmation bias. It would be one thing if Avlon had history of good fact-checking‚ getting his facts correct while going after both sides‚ but he doesn’t. He goes after one side‚ often getting his facts wrong. Here is a transcript for the January 8 show: PBS Amanpour and Company 1/8/2024 CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: And I was interested that Biden couched the beginning of his speech as a fight for democracy. What did you make of the speech? And then we'll ask about‚ you know‚ the impact of going to South Carolina. JOHN AVLON: Well‚ Mother Emanuel Church is less than a mile from my parents' house in Charleston. And so‚ it's an area I know well. And it has really become a sacred civic space because of the massacre that occurred there‚ and what a reckoning that was. It was in -- I think‚ a relatively renewal of an old idea that we've debated in the United States‚ often with violence‚ unfortunately‚ which is the resistance that exists to a multiracial democracy that characterized the run up to the Civil War‚ certainly‚ but especially reconstruction and the violence around overturning Jim Crow. And we saw it at Mother Emanuel that day‚ and we see it in more benign and politicized forms to this day. And I think that's what Joe Biden -- President Biden was speaking to. In many ways‚ it's a companion to a speech at Valley Forge just a few days ago‚ kicking off his campaign where he said this is about defending democracy. I think this puts a finer point on it. One of the great obstacles to the fulfillment of democracy's ideal in the United States is white supremacy‚ is white nationalism‚ is‚ in some cases‚ Christian nationalism when it is combined with a racial animus as we've seen too many times. And sometimes you've got to listen carefully to hear those strains. But if you know your history‚ if you're willing to confront it clearly‚ then all becomes more evident. … AVLON: We have a fundamental responsibility. And I think it's a civic responsibility that connects journalists‚ but also citizens. There is an assault on truth that has been going on for several years. It is fomented and crystallized often by Donald Trump's lies‚ and they need to be called that‚ but they're amplified via social media‚ which amplifies often the most conspiracy theorist version of events‚ the most confrontational version of events‚ amplifies people who played the base. And I think that's something that we're still getting our hands on around. You know‚ I think the days of gatekeepers and Walter Cronkite saying “that's the way it is” are long gone‚ but that's exactly why I think we need to strengthen guardrails around our democracy‚ guardrails around democratic norms. We need to call out lies for what they are as we simultaneously recognize that Trump and the drift towards hyper-partisan media and maybe a fragmentation via social media has been successful in selling outright lies to people who are susceptible to that kind of confirmation bias.