WTF MSM!? Facebook warned satire site The Babylon Bee on 'Fake News'

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Come on …

Really, Facebook? … Yesterday the folks at Christian satire site The Babylon Bee published a piece titled, “CNN purchases industrial-sized washing machine to spin news before publication.” It is a hilarious piece of satire that has apparently flown over the heads of the folks at Facebook. Adam Ford, who runs the satire site, got a notice from Facebook warning him not to spread false stories or lose monetization and the ability to advertise. Why? Because Snopes “fact-checked” the satire — and stated in the fact-check that the story was satire but fooled some people.

This is beyond ridiculous. PJ Media’s Paula Bolyard talked to Ford and got his take. Tech giants are facing an increasing backlash from conservatives. Facebook has since apologized to the website and said the notification was a mistake. As The Federalist’s Bre Payton notes, the apology doesn’t change Facebook’s “creepy” comfort level with censorship.

YouTube and the SPLC … Also yesterday, the Southern Poverty Law Center confirmed that it is flagging “hate” content for YouTube. Let that sink in. The organization that routinely and falsely calls mainstream conservative organizations “hate groups” has been given power by YouTube to censor videos. That’s chilling. I’ve written extensively in these newsletters about the SPLC’s false attacks:

• Black conservative slimed by SPLC speaks out
• SPLC’s “wokeness engine” under attack
• “Hate group” or just people the MSM disagrees with?

In addition, my colleague at CR, Jordan Schachtel, wrote about all the mainstream conservative groups the SPLC names as “hate groups.” The SPLC once did good work. But it’s been turned into a hatchet group for hire. Those people have no business acting as censors.

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Headwinds …

iHeartMedia bankruptcy? … There’s trouble on the horizon for iHeartMedia the conglomerate that owns Premiere Networks and distributes the talk shows of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity. Radio has been a tough business for years, as more people listen to music on streaming services such as Spotify. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company could file for bankruptcy as soon as this weekend. This situation bears watching.

Ugly attacks … Our friends at NewsBusters have come up with a definitive list of the media’s “ugliest attacks on gun supporters.” The list includes video and includes such gems as Morning Joe blaming the GOP for enabling a “domestic terrorist.” The media doesn’t understand the Second Amendment, so it resorts to denigrating law-abiding citizens.

NYT “conservative” with delusions of grandeur … The mainstream media has a habit of promoting those it considers “conservatives” by giving them columns. These cocktail conservatives often write things for the publications that attack genuine constitutional conservatives and others on the Right whom the publications disagree with. The New York Times has such a man: Bret Stephens. And he’s doing the elites’ job for them again.

This time, Stephens has delusions of grandeur. He actually compared himself and other NeverTrumpers to anti-communist heroes like Vaclev Havel. There’s no response really except for LOL. Stephens’ long search for a hero ended at his mirror.

Hooray for Hollyweird …

This weekend marks the 90^th Academy Awards, where Hollywood types gather to give awards to movies you’ve never seen and routinely snubs films like “The Dark Knight” and other movies you’ve actually seen. I often joke to my colleagues that this email is award-winning. If you want to help this newsletter keep its award-worthy status, send a friend over to the WTF MSM!? signup page and ask them to fill out the form. Also remember to email me at reno@conservativereview.com with story ideas and things you’ve seen the MSM do that make you scream WTF!