AOC Calls For More ‘Media Literacy,’ But It Sounds A Lot Like Censorship

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called for more “media literacy” in a recent video posted to social media — but when she elaborated on the topic, it sounded as though what she was really calling for was censorship.

The congresswoman said that she had been in conversation with other members about the steps they might need to take to “rein in” media in order to prevent them from spreading “disinformation and misinformation.”

WATCH:

AOC advocates for more censorship

“We're going to have to figure out how we reign in the media” pic.twitter.com/ljKac1vdf7

— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) September 22, 2024

“You know, I do think that — several members of Congress in some of my discussions have brought up media literacy because that is a part of what happened here,” she said. “And we’re going to have to figure out how we rein in our media environment so that you can’t just spew disinformation & misinformation.”

“It’s one thing to have differing opinions, but it’s another thing entirely to just say things that are false,” she added. “And so that’s something that we’re looking into.”

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Critics were quick to point out that there was no carveout for lying or “disinformation” in the First Amendment, meaning that the government had neither the responsibility — as Ocasio-Cortez suggested — nor the right to tell the people what they could and could not say.

One social media user noted the roots of the term “disinformation” in the Communist Soviet Union, arguing that what Ocasio-Cortez was pushing was simply a means for the government to control who could speak and what they could say.

“The term ‘dezinformatsiya’ was coined by Josef Stalin in the 1920s as the name of the section of the KGB tasked with deceiving enemies and influencing public opinion. And here we have AOC telling us that ‘… you (the people) can’t just spew disinformation and misinformation. That’s something WE are looking into,'” the post read. “Who decides what is disinformation, AOC? Who decides what is false. If it is Government that decides, then maybe, just maybe, government will use this to stop dissent, stop debate, and keep control. (A bit like Stalin…) In the past, when government controlled the media, it did not end well.”

The term "dezinformatsiya" was coined by Josef Stalin in the 1920s as the name of the section of the KGB tasked with deceiving enemies and influencing public opinion.

And here we have AOC telling us that ".. you (the people) can't just spew disinformation and misinformation.… https://t.co/DorcmB72Df

— RefugeOfSinners (ROS) (@RefugeOfSinner5) September 23, 2024

“If they control what you’re allowed to say, they control what you’re allowed to think. Authoritarians like @AOC also think they’re the only ones who can discern truth from falsehood,” another added.

If they control what you're allowed to say, they control what you're allowed to think.

Authoritarians like @AOC also think they're the only ones who can discern truth from falsehood. https://t.co/Htp69n9P2M

— Phineas Fahrquar (@irishspy) September 23, 2024