Media Release October 3 2022
Right to Life is concerned about a recent address by our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern to the United Nations General Assembly. We believe that her speech was a call to seek support for censoring free speech on the internet. This is an attack that cannot go unchallenged.
Right to Life believes there is real danger when a government imposes its will on the people to restrict freedoms. In her speech Ardern called for collaboration between big tech and governments using the mechanism of software allogrithims to censor what the government considers to be ‘dangerous’ social media content. This should raise alarm bells. Using political power to censor views that it disagrees with approaches the very definition of tyranny.
Freedom of speech is a human right. It is the duty of government to protect it, not to censor it.
Obviously there is some content on-line that needs to be censored. Few would disagree that content such as the footage of the Christchurch mosque shootings should not be allowed to be screened on the internet. But the issue is this. Who gets decide what is acceptable and what is not?
When we examine the way governments have used their power to shut down and censor debate about issues like the efficacy and safety of recent health measures taken to counter virus outbreaks, then we clearly see abuse of power. This is especially so when science is used as the rationale for these measures when even the science has been abused to misinform and even disinform.
Right to Life considers Jacinda Ardern’s intention to control what we think, believe and say through platforms such as social media, raises huge concerns.
In 2021 the government invested $55 million over a three year period into the media to promote “responsible journalism”. Right to Life believes that this investment came with conditions that included media outlets being required to refrain from serious criticism of the government. Has the fourth estate abandoned its duty to be a defender of free speech?
She said, “the weapons may be different but the goals of those who perpetuate them are often the same. To cause chaos and reduce the ability of others to defend themselves. To disband communities. To collapse the collective strength of countries who work together. But we have an opportunity here to ensure that these particular weapons of war do not become an established part of warfare.”
Right to Life believes that Jacinda Ardern’s government itslef, has been the major source of misinformation & disinformation on recent health issues and that her government has in fact been promoting deliberate misinformation to deceive the community.
Right to Life intends to release posts concerning the ways in which the Ardern government has been mis-informing the public of this country in the coming weeks.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life NZ Inc.