Ben Shapiro Delivers Blistering Opening Statement To Congress On ‘Cartel’ Silencing Conservatives

Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro told Congress on Wednesday that there is “an informal pressure system” created by Democratic lawmakers, the White House, and brand safety organizations that boosts Left-wing media and silences conservative news outlets.

Shapiro made his remarks on the alleged conspiracy against conservative media during his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. The Republican-led committee invited Shapiro to testify during its hearing on the Collusion in the Global Alliance for Responsible Media after releasing its report accusing the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) of strategizing to censor conservative content, including from The Daily Wire.

“We are in the midst of a trust crisis in the world of media, which is because so many in the legacy media have lied in order to preserve Left-leaning narratives,” Shapiro said in his opening statement. “To take just the most recent example, we were told by the legacy media that President Biden was just fine. For years, anyone who questioned his health and mental fitness was trafficking in ‘cheap fakes.'”

“Then President Biden went out and engaged in a full-scale mental collapse on stage in front of hundreds of millions of people. So we can see why Americans – at least Americans who are not Democrats – do not trust the media,” Shapiro added. “The question isn’t really why the legacy media have lost Americans’ trust – we know that answer. The question is why, despite that loss of trust, the legacy media continue to gain share in the advertising market.”

Watch @benshapiro‘s opening statement in the House Judiciary Committee: pic.twitter.com/S0i47n7Vvl

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) July 10, 2024

The Daily Wire host then told lawmakers how social media companies have been pressured by Democrats, the media, and the White House to censor his and others’ content. Social media companies “have responded by adopting the standards of third-party Left-wing ‘informational safety’ groups like the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, or GARM,” Shapiro said.

“GARM purportedly sets ‘brand safety’ standards – objective standards by which advertisers and platforms can supposedly determine just what sort of content ought to be deemed ‘safe’ for advertising,” he added. “In reality, GARM acts as a cartel. Its members account for 90 percent of ad spending in the United States — almost $1 trillion. In other words, if you’re not getting ad dollars from GARM members, it’s nearly impossible to run an ad-based business.”

News outlets and political commentators from Breitbart to Joe Rogan have been subjected to coercive tactics from the White House and GARM, Shapiro told the lawmakers, adding that GARM’s standards “are highly subjective in theory, and they’re purely partisan in practice.” He added that The Daily Wire has “experienced this first-hand.”

“In 2017 after Sen. [Dianne] Feinstein made her threats to bring the weight of government down on social media platforms, Daily Wire YouTube channels saw a one thousand percent increase in content enforcements over a two-year period,” Shapiro said. “Since 2021, after Democrat officials further turned up the heat on social media companies, my personal Facebook page has seen an over 80 percent drop in impressions.” 

Shapiro then urged Congress to “stand up for the First Amendment.”

“Congress can do so in two ways,” he said. “First, Congress must investigate the informal and perhaps formal arrangements between censorship cartels like GARM and executive branch agencies – The Daily Wire has already filed a federal lawsuit against the State Department for allegedly doing just this. Second, Congress can itself stop engaging in violation of free speech principles.”