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Ashley Catherine Fontones|Pocono Record

For this week's Group Editorial, the Pocono Record asked readers to share their thoughts on censorship. The prompt was: "Should social media platforms participate in media censorship? Should the government?"

Last week's prompt: Is voting a privilege, right, or obligation?

Editor's response: Readers cherish their right to vote | Fontones

While this has been a hot topic of debate in the political stratosphere, the prompt only recruited one response. I think this has more to do with the fact that the election is days away, and you readers definitely have more pressing matters to attend to.

This week, I've decided to move forward with our Group Editorial, but rather than have me respond to readers in my Sunday column, I'm going to respond right here. Why not? This topic is not going away any time soon,and if you would still like to sound off, please consider submitting a letter to me on the topic (please keep those letters to 300 words.)

Longtime letter writerDianne Kurkowski-Worm of Stroudsburg was our lone participant this week. Here is her response.

The American people should shudder at the mere thought of censorship in the United States of America.And yet, it has happened.

The New York Post is a venerable newspaper, founded by Alexander Hamilton.It recentlypublished a story aboutfinancial dealings between Hunter Biden and foreign entities.They probably would not come out with such a story for no reason.

Yet a tech giant has decided to take the New York Post off its platform and not publish this story.Unless one has read the originalNew York Post story, the American people have no idea what that story said.Right before the election.How convenient.And the mainstream media is not covering it either.One might wonder why.

It probably would surprise no one that Silicon Valley is most decidedly liberal.Even so: Who gets to decide what is "misinformation?"Mark Zuckerberg, who dreamed up Facebook in his basement?A newspaper editor?A government official?

The answer is no one should censor any kind of news or withhold any kind ofinformation.Especially right before an election.

It is bad enough for the past four years the American media has been so biased in its reporting it might as well be considered censorship.This latest instance with the tech giants is enough to make one's heart palpitate.

I don't want to live in the western hemisphere version of Communist China.Do you?

More than a decade ago, I embarked on my first real job in the media industry. It was an internship in Manhattan, and this was back when internships were completely unpaid.

I was a nervous, college student from Pratt Institute, showing up to my own cubicle in Viacom's Standards and Practices department. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term Standards and Practices, when it comes to television, the department may have a hand in network censorship. I worked in the MTV division, so there was plenty of material to learn from.

Near the end of the internship, we began focusing on the internet. Use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter were just taking off at the time, and online streaming services like Hulu or Netflix were still relatively new. "Fake news" was not a trending search topic.

I've written about "Fake News" once before. Early on in the pandemic, a chain text message circulated throughout the Poconosregarding the president's impending use of the Stafford Act. The text message usually started off the words: "They activated 3 of my friends who are a part of the National Guard this morning..."

Editorial: The text message is fake.

The text was quickly proven to be fake, but some people in my personal circletook it seriously. The panic the Stafford Act text causedback in March is one example of real world consequences.

I believe in responsible censorship, but my definition of it may surprise you. Censorship should involve carefully researched standards on what type of content should be released to what type of audience. When it comes to a for-profit company like Facebook, they reserve the right to monitor content and remove it at their discretion.

When governments get involved in censorship, that is where the line is blurred.

The Federal Communications Commission is prohibited by law from trying to prevent or censor broadcast material. It is also barred from making any regulation that would interfere with freedom of speech.The FCC is allowed to act, however, when indecent material is involved or at risk of being broadcast to children. Obscene content is not protected by the first amendment.

Such laws exist to protect the first amendment, and in turn freedom of the press. But does such a law apply to a private company like Facebook? The FCCguidelines I referred topertain specifically to radio and television. Guidelines recommend that individual stations make decisions on whether or not to air content.

When it comes to social media, the FCC addresses the industry in the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Section 230 of the act protects social media companies from liability for the content posted by users, and allows them the freedom to remove objectionable posts.

Removing the content entirely does not read as traditional media censorship to me, nor are we at this time anywhere close to a "communist state." It would appear that the law protects a social media platform's right to discern whether or not a post should be removed.Still, Facebook's removal of the New York Post article could set the precedent for future actions. Discretion should be the key word that comes to mind whenever a platform moderator is tasked with investigating a post or link.

Facebook was, at one point, making progress on this front.

Over the summer, Facebook put disclaimers on links that were questionable. The message readers received was something akin to: "The content of this link could not be verified by a fact check, and therefore may contain misinformation. Proceed with caution."

I appreciated this approach. Shouldn't readers have the right to assume the risk?

Our next prompt: What are you thankful for?

Those interested should submit 200-400 words on the topic by Nov. 11, to make Fridays print edition. If the group fills up, we will give you a head start on our next prompt. Email afontones@poconorecord.com for more info.

- Ashley Catherine Fontones is the Managing Editor at the Pocono Record. For more information on Group Editorials, email her at afontones@poconorecord.com.

See the original post here:
Group Editorial: The line between censorship and culling spread of misinformation - Pocono Record

Kingsview Wealth Management CIO Scott Martin discusses Amazon's third-quarter earnings report and the growth of AWS.

This week Americans learned how powerful the likes of Google, Twitter and Facebook are when it comes to censoring and controlling content on social media.

And as earnings rolled in from this trio, plus Apple and Amazon, investors were reminded just how powerful these big tech giants are.

The combined market value of these five companies, led by Apple which is the worlds most valuable at nearly $2 trillion, is sitting at $5.5 trillion which equates to 19.7% of the S&P 500, as tracked by Dow Jones Market Data Group.

Those combined figures are equal to roughly half of the total world wealth growth last year (in 2019, total world wealth grew by $9.1 trillion for a total of $360.6 trillion). That value could rise following strong revenue numbers reported after the bell on Thursday.

APPLE'S TIM COOK SAYS IPHONE 12 'OFF TO A GREAT START' AS EARNINGS TOP EXPECTATIONS

Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google pulled in a combined $228 billion in quarterly revenue reported after the close of trading Thursday, while Twitters haul was just under a billion.The big money may get even bigger for the likes of Amazon.

Give or take another couple of quarters, this is a company boys and girls thats gonna be basically making in a year maybe a half-trillion dollars, said Kingsview Wealth Management CIO Scott Martin during an appearance on FOX Business.

AMAZON SCORES RECORD SALES FOR ANY THREE-MONTH PERIOD EVER

Earlier this week, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg along with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, were grilled by members of the Senate Commerce Committee over censorship.

TWITTER CEO DORSEY PRESSED BY CRUZ ON RESTRICTING HUNTER BIDEN STORIES: 'WHO THE HELL ELECTED YOU?'

Zuckerberg and Dorsey struggled to identify a single liberal individual or organization that has been censored by their platforms.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

In recent weeks, Twitter has come under fire for two high profile examples of censoring. On Thursday it briefly suspended the account of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) CommissionerMark Morganafter he touted the success of the wall along the southern border.

This followed the locking of the New York Posts Twitter account following the organizations reports on Hunter Bidens overseas business dealings and his connection to his father Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden during his tenure as President Obamas Vice President.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP

Read more:
Big tech, amid censorship, earns billions and dominates S&P 500 - Fox Business

Two Trump Energy Department appointeeswith deep ties to Koch Industries and the Koch donor network have been burying reams of agency research that looks favorably on renewable energy, according toan in-depthinvestigation by Grist and InvestigateWest.Published October 26, the investigation reveals how the appointed high-ranking officials mandated political review of research, watered downreports, and slow-walked or shelved scientific findings and studies when they favored renewable deployment over continued reliance on fossilfuels.

Documents obtained by InvestigateWest reveal clear political interference in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), much of it coordinated by Dan Simmons, the offices Assistant Secretary, and Alex Fitzsimmons, the former Chief of Staff to Simmons. While the article notes the lobbying histories of DOEs top brass, Simmons and Fitzsimmons also have recent ties to the Kochnetwork.

Before being tapped by the Trump team to run lead on renewable energy policy,Simmons had a long career promoting fossil fuels, bashing renewables, and even calling for the elimination of the very office he was tapped to run.

From 2008 until he took over EERE in 2017, Simmons worked at the Institute for Energy Research(IER), a free-market think tank that receives the majority of its funding from dark money groups associated with the Koch network and from oil refinery trade groups. Simmons was vice president of policy at IER and had the same title at IERs lobbying arm, the American Energy Alliance (AEA). In 2015, while Simmons was in charge of policy, AEA actually recommended that Congress eliminate EERE.

Excerpt from 2015 American Energy Alliance report calling for Congress to eliminate the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and RenewableEnergy

Simmons antagonism to renewable energy before he joined the DOE cannot beoverstated.

As the utility industry watchdog Energy and Policy Institute has noted, he routinely traveled the country for IER and AEA to bash renewable portfolio standards, relying on inaccurate and cherry-picked data. Before joining IER, Simmons served as the director of the American Legislative Exchange Councils (ALEC) Natural Resources Task Force, where he helped to write [ALECs] anti-clean energy playbook. ALEC functions to connect state legislators with corporations and create mock legislation that serves as models for actualbills.

Simmons prior employers share extremely close ties to petrochemical billionaireCharles Koch and the extensive Koch donornetwork.

The Institute for Energy Research was founded by Charles Koch himself and is currently run by the former top lobbyist for Koch Industries. The AEA and IER both receive funding from foundations in the Koch donor network, and the countrys leading oil refiners trade group, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), gives three times more to AEA than it does to any othergroup.

The ties between ALEC and the Koch network are well documented, with the pro-business group receiving at least $3.3 million from Koch-controlled foundations and Koch Industries maintainingalongstanding and influentialmembership.

Before his time at ALEC, Simmons was also a fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the prototype for Koch influence in academia, a research center which has been funded and controlled by Charles Koch and his associates since the1980s.

Simmonstapped Alex Fitzsimmons to serve as his chief of staff when he took over EERE. The two had worked together at IER and AEA, where Fitzsimmons worked as the Manager of Policy and Public Affairs.In addition to managing research, communications, and outreach at IER and AEA, Fitzsimmons was also a spokesman and Communications Director for Fueling U.S. Forward, a pro-fossil fuelscampaignexposed by DeSmog as being funded by Koch Industries. According to its website, Fueling U.S. Forward was dedicated to educating the public about the value and potential of American energy, the vast majority of which comes from fossil fuels, before it shuttered in2017.

According to the Grist/InvestigateWest investigation, written by journalist Peter Fairley, Simmons and Fitzsimmons created systems and workflow that deliberately buried any of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's research that could be perceived as supportive of a transition to renewable energyresources.

In all, the department has blocked reports for more than 40 clean energy studies, Fairleyreported. The department has replaced them with mere presentations, buried them in scientific journals that are not accessible to the public, or left them paralyzed within the agency, according to emails and documents obtained by InvestigateWest, as well as interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees at the Department of Energy, or DOE, and its nationallabs.

Documents obtained by InvestigateWest show how Trump appointees mandated a tiered system of review for release of studies, with EE-1 referringto Dan Simmons, while PDAS refers to Alex Fitzsimmons, thenthe office's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary.Credit: Peter Fairley/InvestigateWest on DocumentCloud.

Onedocument obtained by InvestigateWest shows how Fitzsimmons established a system that enabled politically appointed officialsto intervene and, if necessary, consult their superiors before politically sensitive reports went out. Researchers and scientists were ordered to designate certain studies including those that compared renewables to fossil fuel resources and those that projected future penetration of renewable energy supplies be flagged for review by Simmons and Fitzsimmons. The two could then block the findings or request that the scientists and researchers alteredtheirresults.

There are dozens of reports languishing right now that cant be published, Stephen Capanna, a former director of strategic analysis for the Energy Departments Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, told Grist. This is a systemicissue.

Main image:Daniel Simmons, Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in October 2017. Credit:Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon, publicdomain

Read this article:
The Koch Operatives Behind the Trump Energy Department's Renewables Research Censorship - DeSmog

The two events Obama headlined in predominantly Black cities -- first in Flint, Michigan, and later in Detroit -- looked to drive home the point that Democrats can't take this election for granted after depressed turnout four years earlier doomed Hillary Clinton in the state. Obama used both events, the first time the duo has been on stage together with either one of them on a presidential ticket since 2012, to focus on Biden's character, using it to draw a stark contrast to Trump.

Obama's remarks included blistering rebukes of Trump -- including mocking his focus on crowd sizes and belittling his economic achievements -- but the events stood out from earlier Obama appearances because of the way the former President touted Biden's character.

"Joe Biden is my brother. I love Joe Biden. And he will be a great president," Obama said in Flint, noting that while he didn't know Biden well when he selected him to be his running mate, he learned quickly that Biden treated everyone with "dignity and with respect."

"That sense of decency and empathy, the belief in hard work and family and faith, the belief that everyone counts, that is who Joe is and that is who he will be as president," Obama said, adding that Biden "made me a better president."

"He has got the character and the experience to make us a better country," Obama added. "And he and Kamala (Harris) are going to be in the fight, not for themselves, but for every single one of us. And we sure can't say that about the President we have got right now."

"Now he is accusing doctors of profiting off this pandemic. Think about that," Obama said incredulously. "He cannot fathom, he does not understand the notion that somebody would risk his life to save others without trying to make a buck."

In Detroit, Obama even provided a call back to his reelection bid, citing his oft used talking point that Republicans wanted to let "Detroit go bankrupt" during the economic downturn in 2009.

"You remember when Republicans were saying, 'Let Detroit go bankrupt?' You remember that," Obama asked. "Now they might as well just be saying, 'Let America get Covid. It is not our problem. You are exaggerating it.' That is what they are literally saying every day."

Obama also got personal when questioning why Trump was so fixated on the size of the crowds at his events.

"Does he have nothing better to worry about? Did no one come to his birthday party when he was a kid? Was he traumatized," Obama asked. "What is with crowds?"

Those mocking lines were central to Obama's argument against Trump and for Biden.

"You know when a country is going through a pandemic that's not what you're supposed to be worrying about," Obama said in Flint. "And that's the difference between Joe Biden and Trump right there. Trump cares about feeding his ego. Joe cares about keeping you and your family safe. And he's less interested in feeding his ego with having big crowds than he is making sure he's not going around making more and more people sick. That's what you should expect from a president."

The location of their first joint appearance underscored the central question looming for Democrats: Will the voters who did not turn out for Hillary Clinton cast a ballot for Biden?

Crowds of people waved signs and cheered along the roadside on a sunny Saturday afternoon as Obama and Biden arrived at their drive-in rally in Flint, which is in Genesee County. Four years ago, Hillary Clinton received 26,000 fewer votes there than Obama and Biden did in 2012.

The second rally on Saturday for Obama and Biden in Detroit is part of Wayne County, where the falloff among voters was even more dramatic. Clinton received 75,000 fewer votes there than the Democratic ticket did in 2012.

Taken together, the two counties alone represented 100,000 fewer votes in 2016 for Democrats. Trump carried Michigan by 10,704 votes.

"We can't afford to be complacent," Obama said. "Not this time. Not in this election. We got a little complacent in the last election."

Horns honked loudly in the parking lot as Obama implored Michigan voters to "turn out here like never before." He asked people to "imagine if 60% of us voted, if 70% of us voted?"

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically upended the presidential race, with Democrats turning their campaign into a virtual one. Democratic officials don't question the decision, but say they do worry whether the lack of a traditional field program could fail to turn out Biden votes in the margins that they may need.

When Biden took the stage, he nodded to the fact that just hearing the former president speak could be cathartic for Democrats.

"Kind of reminds you how good it can be listening to him, doesn't it," Biden quipped.

The former vice president went on to echo Obama's remarks, especially when he slammed Trump in stark terms for falsely suggesting doctors make more money when coronavirus numbers are higher.

"He suggested falsely that they're inflating the number of Covid deaths to make more money," Biden said. "What in the hell is wrong with this man? Excuse my language, but think about it. It's perverted."

Biden added, "He may believe it because he doesn't do anything other than for money. The people of this nation have suffered and sacrificed for nine months, none more so than the doctors on the front lines and health care workers, and this president is questioning their character? Their integrity? Their commitment to their fellow Americans? It's more than offensive, it's a disgrace."

Obama's most pointed critiques of Trump this month have focused on the coronavirus and that continued on Saturday in Michigan.

"What's his closing argument? That people are too focused on Covid. He said this at one of his rallies. Covid, Covid, Covid, he's complaining," Obama said in Florida this week. "He's jealous of Covid's media coverage. If he had been focused on Covid from the beginning, cases wouldn't be reaching new record highs across the country this week."

On Saturday, Obama cast the election as critical for the future of the country. The former President noted that his speech was happening during the Michigan-Michigan State Football game, a heated rivalry where the Paul Bunyan Trophy was "on the line."

"But this Tuesday," Obama said. "Everything is on the line."

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Excerpt from:
Obama: Trump cares about his ego, Biden cares about 'keeping your family safe' - CNN

Former President Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaBerlin's Madame Tussauds places wax Trump in a dumpster ahead of election New poll shows Biden leading Trump by 6 points in North Carolina Who is 'Anonymous' author Miles Taylor? MORE went viral on Saturday after shooting a three-pointer while on the campaign trail for Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden leads Trump by 8 points nationally: poll Ivanka Trump raises million in a week for father's campaign On The Money: McConnell says Congress will take up stimulus package at start of 2021 | Lawmakers see better prospects for COVID deal after election MORE.

Obama made the shot just before leaving a gymnasium in Flint, Mich. While he walks out the door, he appears to tell campaign staff Thats what I do!

Shoot your shot. https://t.co/XdZz4dh82T pic.twitter.com/elpBmzu6hV

so this was absolutely insane pic.twitter.com/W4JL6LQZxq

Celebrities and social media users quickly shared the clip, with some hoping that the shot it a "good omen" for the former vice president ahead of the Tuesday election.

NBA star Lebron James, who has previously partnered with Obama and former first lady Michelle ObamaMichelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaMichelle Obama releases her voting playlist Obama to young voters: Create 'a new normal in America' by voting for Biden Obama hits trail to help Biden, protect legacy MORE on voter initiatives, tweeted Now you just showing out now my friend!! Thats what you do huh??

Now you just showing out now my friend!! Thats what you do huh?? Ok ok I see. All cash! https://t.co/8pZzXLJIJj

My. Forever. President. https://t.co/F4hyPNthZx

A real president. https://t.co/Iq2Ct64UC9

Now let's make this Tuesday a #SwishNoBackboard!#VOTE https://t.co/HZl7JQyT65

SIR YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THIS HARD https://t.co/NKUwm5sl7M

The clip was taken in the gymnasium of Flints Northwestern High School, Yahoo! Sports reported. Obama and Biden campaign together in Flint on Saturday at a drive-in rally, where the former president blasted President TrumpDonald John TrumpStephen Miller: Trump to further crackdown on illegal immigration if he wins US records 97,000 new COVID-19 cases, shattering daily record Biden leads Trump by 8 points nationally: poll MOREs reality show style of politics.

He hasnt shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself or his friends or treating the presidency as anything more than a reality show to give him the attention that he craves, Obama said. But unfortunately, the rest of us have to live with the consequences.

Continued here:
Obama shooting three pointer while campaigning for Biden goes viral | TheHill - The Hill