In a troubling example of corporate censorship, Time Warner recently announced that it would be dropping One America News Network (OAN) from its lineup. One of the first prominent figures to call out the decision was former President Donald Trump, who released a statement criticizing the decision and in support of OAN.
NEW!
President Donald J. Trump:
“Time Warner, the owner of Fake News CNN, has just announced that they will be terminating a very popular and wonderful news network (OAN). Between heavily indebted Time Warner, and Radical Left Comcast, which runs Xfinity, there is a virtual… pic.twitter.com/eEoF87I8xG
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) March 14, 2022
The statement released Monday by the 45th President urges supporters and any Americans who support basic freedoms to push back and protest the move. He mentioned Time Warner as the owner of “Fake News CNN”. “Between heavily indebted Time Warner, and Radical Left Comcast, which runs Xfinity, there is a virtual monopoly on news, thereby making what you hear from the LameStream Media largely FAKE, hence the name FAKE NEWS!”
This is not the first time that OAN has been censored. Previously, DirecTV announced plans to not renew its contract with OANN, thereby removing it from its platform. President Trump and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) were two vocal critics of this move. “If you feel infringed by what this Communist movement is doing, cancel DirecTV!” Paul encouraged his supporters to do the same. “Why give money to people who hate us?” asked the Kentucky Senator.
Many on the political left and establishment right have been supportive of cable and satellite television providers de-platforming a news network that provides genuine opposition to the corporate media/D.C. establishment narratives. A popular refrain is that these providers are private companies and can give a platform to anyone they want. Pro-establishment figures also support the move as a part of the war on “misinformation and disinformation”.
With Time Warner now dropping OAN, pro-establishment voices are calling for other providers to follow suit. “ByeByeOAN” trended on Twitter Wednesday morning as these groups celebrated the news.
OAN was so extreme, it made Fox News seem like NPR by comparison. Glad Time Warner flushed it.
I wish my provider @Verizon would say #ByeByeOAN, because I shouldn't have to pay for that trash.
Commentary by @ReallyAmerican1 host @chipfranklin. pic.twitter.com/DZUetjdulE
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) March 15, 2022
While Time Warner and DirecTV are corporations, many have argued that the line between private company and state entity has become very blurry in recent years. The same argument has been made by anti-establishment lawmakers and pundits to justify government intervention in big tech.