Why have so many Americans embraced censorship?: Will Cain
‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ host Will Cain discusses free speech in America following Twitter CEO Elon Musk announcing plans to release Twitter’s history of censorship.
Tesla founder and Twitter CEO Elon Musk vowed Monday to publish files on the social media giant's past censorship practices, including allegations that conservative accounts were unfairly targeted over the years.
Despite Musk's calls for transparency and restoring freedom of speech, some critics including the White House have expressed concerns about his takeover of the social media platform.
"Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Will Cain shared his concern over not only the government response but also the cultural response, questioning "what happened in America."
"I'm concerned so many people, shockingly, journalists, have embraced the idea of censorship, Cain said on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday. "It's one of the most concerning things about modern American culture that we have. We have distanced ourselves. We've walked away from one of our founding values culturally, even if the government had no involvement."
Among other critics, the White House spoke out against Twitter's recent plans. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is "monitoring" Twitter for any misinformation. She was asked by a Reuters reporter if the White House would take action to make sure Twitter does not become a "vector of misinformation."
"Listening to Karine Jean-Pierre right there, we can say, first of all, that's more than disappointing, that's dangerous," Cain said.
"Those on the left are saying that free speech is threatened by free speech," OutKick host Tomi Lahren said on "Fox & Friends First" Tuesday. "It makes literally no sense whatsoever."
Cain argued Musk's plans to release Twitter details is essential to understanding what happened in the past.
"That's why it's so important that Elon Musk reveal released what he's calling the Twitter files, because we didn't know what happened in the past. We didn't know how our minds were manipulated, who was turned up, who was turned down, who was turned off? I think it is, as he says, important to restoring public trust. So it's important to know what's happened in our past."
One past issue the Twitter CEO has specifically discussed is the Hunter Biden story, teasing last week releasing documents pertaining to Twitter censoring the story prior to the 2020 presidential election.
"I think it's quite obvious if people know the truth, if people have access to a truly free speech public platform, they might change the way they think and they might change the way they vote," Lahren said. "And that's why the left is so terrified of this."
Cain also emphasized the alarming trend of "cultural antagonism" towards the First Amendment and specifically the freedom of speech.
"Why are we so willing to shut each other up? The rest of the world does that. The rest of the world doesn't care about free speech the way that we do in America."
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"People walking around believe they don't have to win the battle of ideas. They need to shut up their opponent," Cain said. "Cultural censorship is very, very concerning."
"What happened to America?"
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