In this week’s edition of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” media critic and author David Zurawik went into a panic mode as he ranted about the importance of being able to moderate free speech.
On the CNN program, a roundtable discussion was held with host Brian Stelter, reporter April Ryan, Zurawik, and others.
During the segment, Zurawik reacted to Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, calling it “completely dangerous.”
“When we pay attention to the personalities of folks like Elon Musk, for example… there’s a much greater concern about how we’ll regulate the channels of communication in this nation,” he added. “We had the Radio Act in 1927 and the Communications Act in 1934. Congress stepped in; we made regulations.”
“The Federal Communications Commission,” he continued, “was not great, but it still regulates the broadcast sector.”
“We just handed over our internet waves or airwaves, to Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, with the understanding that we’d be in so much trouble,” Zurawik stressed. “Because those guys are all about making money. We have already seen it in the 2016 presidential election when Zuckerberg was selling rubles for advertising from Russia and saying, ‘Oh I believe it’s crazy to think they had any impact on this election.’ “
He also said that Musk is no different, and the United States has rapidly descended into chaos since Trump’s election.
“This is extremely hazardous!” he shrieked. “We can’t think anymore in this nation — we don’t have people with the capacity to make rules that will work… I believe we can look to Western nations in Europe for how they are attempting to restrict it, but you need — and you need — regulation. You need rules. You can’t let these people run discourse in this country; otherwise, we’re heading straight to hell. We’ve already arrived there. They are chasing us down because Trump opened the gates of hell.”
