Multiple news outlets are reporting Thursday about an agreement reached between Rumble, a rival of YouTube, and Tulsi Gabbard, an unsuccessful 2020 presidential candidate.
The Hill reported that Rumble, “which has grown in popularity among conservatives as an alternative to YouTube,” reached agreements with eight “thought leaders” to provide content, including Gabbard, a Democrat who represented Hawaii in the U.S. House for eight years, and journalist Glenn Greenwald.
In a tweet about her new gig, Gabbard said, “Censorship of speech must end. There can be no democracy without free speech. I want to invite you to join me here on Rumble and support a platform that is committed to free speech, and that stands diametrically opposed to big tech monopolies, censorship, and policing.”
I may disagree with what you say, but I and every service member is ready to sacrifice our life to protect your right to say it. Censorship of speech must end. I’ll be launching my channel soon on https://t.co/gTfwLsFxuw where free speech is celebrated -> https://t.co/e2Ob2OimZa pic.twitter.com/L6jSQuOasK
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) August 12, 2021
This is not the first time Gabbard has criticized big tech companies. In March 2020, a federal judge dismissed her lawsuit against Google, “dismissing the Hawaii congresswoman’s allegations that the tech giant censored her free speech rights by briefly suspending her presidential campaign ads.”
Rumble, The Hill said, has become a “haven for conservative voices that frequently violated content moderation policies of more mainstream platforms.”
In its press release, the Toronto-based Rumble launched in 2013 and today draws more than 25 million users monthly.
Rumble’s commitment to factual, fair reporting is in question.
For example, Wired reported in May, “If you search ‘vaccine’ on Rumble, you are three times more likely to be recommended videos containing misinformation about the coronavirus than accurate information.”
The magazine also said that, while Rumble claims to be bipartisan, “it chose the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference to debut its new livestream tool, where keynote speaker Donald Trump reiterated false claims that he’d won the 2020 election.”
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About the Author
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Chad Blair is the politics editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.org or follow him on X at @chadblairCB.