Mollie Hemingway, Editor-in-Chief of The Federalist, has condemned Big Tech’s censorship practices, likening their impact to election interference. In a recent episode of the “You’re Wrong” podcast with Senior Editor David Harsanyi, Hemingway argued that the suppression of free speech by tech giants poses a greater threat to democracy than traditional election meddling.
Hemingway emphasized that biased algorithms and censorship by platforms like Google manipulate public opinion and stifle diverse viewpoints. She contended that these practices hinder the public’s ability to engage in open discourse and seek the truth, essential components of self-government.
“Well, first of all, I think violations of First Amendment rights are actually worse than election interference,” Hemingway stated. “If we don’t have the ability to seek truth and argue for truth, it’s the same thing as election interference where you don’t have the right to pick your own people.”
Hemingway pointed out that Big Tech’s influence extends to shaping perceptions on various issues, such as transgender rights. She noted that while many Americans, including Democrats, may hold certain views, media narratives and search engine results can create the illusion that these views are fringe.
“It affects the way people think about every issue,” Hemingway explained. “Polling shows that even the vast majority of Democrats are like ‘No, I don’t believe men should be able to play on girls’ teams,’ and yet you watch the media and you do the Google search, and everything will be like fed to you like you’re the crazy person.”
Hemingway highlighted the difficulty of finding alternative viewpoints due to search result manipulation. She used a metaphor about Osama Bin Laden to illustrate the point: “Try the 20th page of Google results…where the first page is this left-wing site and that left-wing site.”
The podcast discussion comes amid increased scrutiny of Google’s handling of election-related search results. MRC Free Speech America found that Google’s search results buried the websites of Republican candidates Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Nikki Haley, while promoting lesser-known candidate Will Hurd. Similarly, Google was found to be promoting President Joe Biden and Marianne Williamson while hiding Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s website.
Hemingway’s critique underscores a growing concern about the power of Big Tech to influence political discourse and suppress dissenting opinions, raising important questions about the role of these companies in a free society.
