Ben Shapiro Rips Dems in Testimony Over Media 'Trust Crisis'

Ben Shapiro, founder of The Daily Wire, testified before Congress on Wednesday where he criticized Democrats over what he claimed were efforts to "throttle viewpoints" they disagree with on social media.

Shapiro appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to testify about the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a group established by the World Federation of Advertisers with the stated intention of addressing "harmful content on digital media platforms."

Shapiro has described the movement as "a network of global elites who have created a universal framework full of guidelines and ratings designed to enforce 'approved' narratives and punish disapproved ones."

In his testimony on Wednesday, Shapiro said: "We are in the midst of a trust crisis in the world of media. That is because so many in the legacy media simply lie in order to preserve left-leaning narratives."

He went on to cite coverage of President Joe Biden and his mental fitness as "the most recent example," saying, "we were told by the legacy media that Joe Biden was just fine. For years. Anyone who questioned his health and mental fitness was trafficking in 'cheap fakes.'"

Shapiro added: "Then Joe 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 aren't Democrats — don't trust the media."

The conservative commentator went on to criticize Democrats for "participating in a sophisticated coercive campaign against free speech," singling out Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., for calling for increased regulations on social media companies.

"You are using the tacit threat of government action to compel private companies to throttle viewpoints you don't like," Shapiro said.

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