Topic: Newsmax
The victimization narrative at Newsmax over getting dropped by DirecTV has aggressively continued as it goes into its fourth week:
- Rep. Victoria Spartz: DirecTV, Monopolies Will Turn US Into 'Oligarchy'
- Alina Habba to Newsmax: DirecTV Removing Newsmax 'Needs to Be Investigated'
- Rep. Kevin Kiley to Newsmax: DirecTV Canceling Basic Freedoms
- Rep. Bryan Steil to Newsmax: DirecTV Censorship 'Worthy of a Review'
- Texas AG Paxton to Newsmax: State Should Probe AT&T Over Deplatforming Conservatives
- Sen. Ted Cruz to Newsmax: DirecTV Censorship 'Indefensible'
- Monica Crowley to Newsmax: Biden FCC Pick Should Put 'Her Money Where Her Mouth Is'
- Jeffrey Lord to Newsmax: DirecTV Move Not Surprising Given Obama, Clinton Ties
- Penny Young Nance to Newsmax: AT&T Dropping Network is 'Censorship'
- Rep. Hern to Newsmax: DirecTV Censorship a 'Grave Concern'
- RNC's McDaniel to Newsmax: Members Urged to Fight DirecTV Censorship
- Bryan Leib to Newsmax: Jewish Leaders Demand DirecTV End Censorship
- Rep. Norman to Newsmax: House GOP Won't Stand for AT&T's Censorship
- Vivek Ramaswamy to Newsmax: AT&T, DirecTV Part of 'Ideological Cartel'
- CPAC Chairman Urges AT&T, DirecTV to Reinstate Newsmax
- Ben Weingarten to Newsmax: Censorship by Proxy 'Unlawful, Un-American'
- Rep. Greg Steube to Newsmax: Floridians 'Outraged' at DirecTV
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Private Sector Censorship Going Too Far
- CPAC's Schlapp to Newsmax: DirecTV's Move Not About Money
- Rep. Kiley to Newsmax: Congress Should Probe DirecTV's 'Censorship' of Newsmax
- CPAC Chair Schlapp to Newsmax: Dropping Newsmax Thwarts Conservative Speech
With these 21 articles, Newsmax has run at least 191 articles attacking DirecTV for dropping it since it happened on Jan. 25.And none of these articles mentioned that DirecTV replaced Newsmax with another right-wing channel, The First, which means no viewpoint "censorship" is happening.
Meanwhile, Newsmax unironically ran a wire service story on Feb. 15 stating how that "For the first time ever, U.S .adults will spend more time this year watching digital video on platforms such as Netflix, TikTok, and YouTube than viewing traditional television, Insider Intelligence forecast Wednesday." Newsmax has pointed out that "it offers its feed for free on its website, on YouTube and on multiple streaming platforms such as Roku, so viewers with DirecTV service will still be able to watch it -- which would seem to show that Newsmaxdoesn't actually need to be on DirecTV and that everyone who really wants to watch it has found a way to doing so.
Newsmax also continues to have columnist complain on its behalf. Kenny Cody ranted in a Feb. 14 column:
Nearly one year after removing the conservative leaning One America News Network (OANN), from their channel lineup, DirecTV decided to drop Newsmax, a conservative-leaning outlet.
While DirecTV is arguing that both decisions were based upon non-negotiable contractual terms, the sense from Newsmax is that the provider wanted conservative voices, reporting, and voices silenced across their medium and perhaps thinks that both the Biden administration and other Democratic politicians had a significant influence regarding its decision to remove the network from its channel lineup.
Cody censored the fact that DirecTV replaced Newsmax with another right-wing channel, so no "conservative voices" are being "silenced." But the victimization narrative is a hard one to break, so Cody just kept ranting, with an added bit of pretending it's not government interference into private business matters if the government looked into this particular private business matter:
While it can be argued that Big Tech is working against conservative voices, a proper investigation should be launched to ensure if there was actual interference or influence by federal government officials, over companies like DirecTV.
It's not pro-big government to investigate the connection between government and private companies if it means they have a political bias, a bias demonstrated by impinging upon speech platforms.
It would be a giant step forward for the GOP if this connection were probed and proven by both U.S. Senate and U.S. House Republicans.
Dennis Kneale cheered Newsmax's strategy of screaming loudly over being on the bad end of a business decision in his Feb. 15 column:
By now, AT&T must be regretting the decision by executives at its DirecTV service to oust the Newsmax network from the 13-million-subscriber platform. The Newsmax response has been vociferous and effective, enlisting a platoon of conservative allies to side with the cable network.
Newsmax has fought back against its much larger foe by running a non-stop barrage of on-air stories about the clash, and online coverage on its website, and referrals to a new fight website. It also has used Twitter as a megaphone and a rallying point for supporters.
What AT&T and DirecTV brass may have viewed as a negotiation over new fees has blown up into a fight against Big Tech censorship. And with good reason.
DirecTV canceled a smaller conservative network, OAN, last April, after a few Democrats called on media platforms to pull the plug on conservative networks for spreading "misinformation." Now this?
He too failed to disclose thatDirecTV replaced Newsmax with another right-wing channel.
