Molly Whiteas a passionate supporter of free speech, i'm going to sue a publisher and author to force them to take down an article i didn't like
Rui SeabraOTOH isn't it "forcing X to take down content we don't like" to go after their rent income until they take down content we don't like? Pot calling the kettle black?
I've always been a strong supporter of #FreeSpeech since before I even joined the internet in 1994.
@RuiSeabra @glynmoody no, it is not. a court order that would force MMfA to take down critical (but not defamatory) speech is a very different beast than an advertiser deciding to withdraw monetary support because they're dissatisfied with twitter's moderation philosophy.
@molly0xfff That is mere word-play. It is effectively censorship, but the threat comes from another powerful actor rather than the government or a court.
@RuiSeabra it is absolutely not mere wordplay. there is a huge distinction between actual freedom of speech and some imagined "freedom to do whatever you want without advertisers pulling support"
@molly0xfff yes, there is a huge dictionary distinction. Nevermind the pratical effect is the same. Just as bad as burning books or forbidding books in schools, like those religious extremists so much like to do in the USA.
@RuiSeabra say you subscribe to my substack. if I then publish something that damages your reputation or threatens your income, should you be forced to continue paying me?