You see that list above? That is a list compiled by the United States Government of favorable and unfavorable news websites. In a country with free speech guarantees, that list should not exist.
Where did I read about the government's practice of whitelisting? At Zero Hedge. What's on the front page of the USA Today on the same day this story broke?
According to the USA Today, that list is not news.
Now if you look closely at CNN, apparently there's nothing to see there either.
But that list should have set off Free Speech Sirens, as it was released by, arguably, the best journalist working today, Matt Taibbi.
Matt Taibbi, though, is an independent journalist, not a corporate journalist. Because his missive contradicts overarching left-wing narratives, it fell on mostly deaf ears.
Why does the list have me in such a tizzy? If we ever had a cash infusion at Beacon of Speech, our goal would be to be REASON. REASON operates under libertarian tenets and is mostly even-handed. They tend to avoid sensationalism for real world practicality. Many of REASON's stories are unique to their website.
Now REASON's philosophy is that the Federal Government is too big and it is overreaching. If the Federal Government whitelisted REASON, that basically proves their mission statement.
I mean, it's basic logic.
T = The U.S. Government is overreaching
H = The U.S. Government overreaches
T → H
Right? It is really that simple. The First Amendment to the Constitution is easy to interpret. This example is a very clear erosion of American Free Speech.