Bill Maher Mocks ‘Ridiculous’ Twitter Censorship: ‘Like Fact-Checking the Graffiti on the Bathroom Wall of a Dive Bar’ (Video)

thewrap.com:

didn’t have a good time.”The host began with a Mother’s Day salute, and then argued that social media companies shouldn’t have to pose as our parents online. “Let’s pause and take a moment to think about how your mother was always there for you, looking after you and keeping you safe — and then realize, That’s not Twitter’s job!

Keeping you safe and sorting out the lies from the truth, that’s your job.”Maher acknowledged the challenges of the social media age. “Do lies spread faster than they used to?

Of course, but so can the truth,” he said. “You just have to learn how to use Google for something other than porn.”The host noted that “whenever a new means of communication comes along, some reach for the censor button.” He recounted historical objections raised by the printing press in the 15th century, the trans-Atlantic telegraph in the 19th century and radio in the 1930s — particularly after Orson Welles’ “obviously fictitious” radio drama “The War of the Worlds” caused a panic among people who thought Martians really had invaded Earth. “You cannot censor away that level of naivete,” Maher said.

Then Maher compared misinformation to germs. “Lies are all around you — develop a better bulls— detector. That’s a better solution than me giving up what I’m allowed to read.”He also argued that both conservatives and liberals are guilty of spreading outright lies (like QAnon conspiracy theories) and half-truths without full context (alarmist COVID warnings).