Robert Kennedy Jr.'s bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination is testing social media platforms' policies on free speech and censorship, the Washington Examiner is reporting.
The test is focused on Kennedy's vaccine skepticism and conspiracy theorizing, the outlet noted.
The latest incident came with YouTube's removal of an RFK Jr. interview with conservative podcaster Jordan Peterson.
"Now @YouTube has taken upon itself to actively interfere with a presidential election campaign @RobertKennedyJr," Peterson tweeted on Sunday.
After the blackout on YouTube, RFK Jr. hailed Twitter for keeping the interview up on its platform.
The flap came after video podcaster Joe Rogan offered a vaccine doctor $100,000 to debate Kennedy on his show, piquing Twitter CEO Elon Musk's interest.
The doctor, Peter Hotez, fired salvos at Rogan and RFK Jr. for spreading vaccine skepticism after Rogan's podcast interview with Kennedy, a noted COVID-19 vaccine critic. Hotez declined Rogan's offer for the charity of his choice.
Media companies and social media platforms are feeling pressure not to air Kennedy's more controversial opinions, but also are reluctant to censor a politician, the Examiner noted.
"The tech companies are being more careful with their censorship now that Mr. Kennedy is running for office," a representative for Kennedy's campaign told the Examiner. "However, he is still being censored by YouTube and perhaps more subtly on other platforms, though it is hard to tell since their algorithms are not transparent."
Kennedy has had to deal with the issue of censorship for a long time, but his bid for president has made it more challenging for social media
Kennedy was banned from Instagram in 2021 for spreading vaccine misinformation, according to the Examiner. However, after he announced his candidacy in May, his account was reinstated.
Kennedy has been welcomed on Twitter by owner Elon Musk, who has sought to portray himself as a defender of free speech. Musk even hosted a Twitter Space talk on June 5 with Kennedy.
Still, the Examiner pointed out, ABC News did not air several segments of a Kennedy interview where he talked about his views on vaccines. The network cited "editorial judgment" for the cuts.
"Never before has a Kennedy been treated with such disrespect by media outlets, including when Ted Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter in the 1980 primary," Dan Schneider, vice president of the Media Research Center's Free Speech America, told the Examiner. "Today's liberal-dominated platforms are working overtime to help Joe Biden secure a second term."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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