Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter

January 8th, 2025

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SGT
January 08, 2025

Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter

January 8th, 2025

Great stuff in the Wednesday edition of our newsletter, now buzzing on Beehiiv! 🐝 Stay tuned for fresh updates, exclusive content, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

CURRENT EVENTS

Meta announces changes in content moderation, moves bak towards free speech

 Our take: Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced on Tuesday they were axing the “fact checkers” they have used to moderate content since 2016 and moving the platform back to “prioritizing speech.” In the announcement, CEO Mark Zuckerberg also stated that fact-checkers who were put in place in the wake of Trump's 2016 election have proven to be "too politically biased" and have destroyed "more trust than they've created," particularly in the United States.

YES!!!! We are glad to see common sense prevail on such an important issue. Meta is a private company and has the right to put any policies in place they choose. However, they also enjoy protection under Section 230 in the Communications Decency Act, which means they are not responsible for the content on the platform they provide; they are simply a marketplace of ideas. This is much different than a news organization that curates and presents its own content. They do not enjoy the same protections because they decide what does and does not air on their channel. The notable exception is illegal activity happening on the site, such as child trafficking, terrorism, or other similar criminal activities.

It is not right for any organization that enjoys such protections, regardless of their political bent, to censor or ban lawful speech. Most people don’t like it, but almost all forms of speech are legal. Nowhere in the constitution is “hate speech” banned. Ask 10 people to define “hate speech,” and you will get 10 different answers. If we went down this road, at some point, someone will disagree with something you say and try to shut it down by labeling it hate speech. It is the proverbial slippery slope, and we would quickly slide down into the valley of censorship and fascism. Look back at history, and censorship leads to this every single time.

Nowhere is anyone guaranteed the right to not be offended. The solution for hate speech and bad ideas is more speech and good ideas, not censorship. Kudos to Zuckerberg and team for seeing the light and doing the right thing for both their business and their users.

COURTESY: ABC NEWS

Senator Klobuchar tries to revive the lie about police officer death on J6

Our take: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota tried to sneak an often repeated lie about January 6th into her X feed, but readers were having none of it. Klobuchar is best known for her failed run for president in the 2020 Democratic primary, if she is known for anything at all.

Klobuchar posted, "Four years ago, the electoral vote certification was interrupted by a violent mob. Police officers were injured and killed," Klobuchar posted on X on Tuesday. "Our democracy hung in the balance. I knew we had to do our duty and complete the count—and in the early hours of January 7th, we did."

One small problem: no police officers were killed on January 6th. Many on the left continue to repeat that Officer Brian Sicknick died from injuries sustained on duty during the January 6th riots. Unfortunately for them (and Sicknick, may he rest in peace), Sicknick died the following day due to a stroke he suffered. The medical examiner listed his cause of death as “natural causes.” The only person killed on January 6th was Ashli Babbitt, the unarmed protestor who was shot by Capitol Police as she tried to break through the doorway to enter the Capitol.

Multiple other users were quick to add community notes to the post, calling out this lie. It is rich that the same people who want to moderate content for “disinformation and misinformation” will freely lie on the same platforms they decry. Shame on Klobuchar. She is a smart lady and knew this was bullshit when she wrote it. Must be something Tim Walz puts in the water in Minnesota that prevents the politicians from getting facts right and telling the truth.

COURTESY: FOX NEWS

A salacious Fox Sports lawsuit has accusations against multiple hosts, and Fox Sports executives

Our take: We do not watch Fox Sports. We know almost no one that works there or who most of these people are that are named in the lawsuit. With that said, you should grab some popcorn and read through this thing. The allegations have the makings of a Netflix series or a bad porn movie. Let’s try to get the basics out, and you can read the article and the lawsuit itself for more details.

Noushin Faraji was a hairstylist at Fox Sports for more than a decade. She alleges that during her time there, she encountered a hostile work environment fostered by executives that allowed bosses and on-air talent to abuse workers without fear of punishment.

Faraji claimed that the advances by Bayless, which began in 2017 and continued until last year, included lingering hugs, kisses on the cheek, and comments from Bayless that he could change Faraji’s life if she had sex with him. In 2021, she claims in the suit, Bayless offered Faraji $1.5 million for sex and, after she refused, later threatened her job.

In addition to these allegations, Faraji also leveled allegations against another on-air host, Joy Taylor, who was married at the time. The suit alleges Taylor had affairs with executive Charlie Dixon and on-air host Emmanuel Acho.

Holy moly! As we stated earlier, these are allegations in a lawsuit, not facts that have been adjudicated or proven. With that said, if this suit advances, it is certain to provide a lot of entertainment in the coming months and years. We will keep an eye on this story and bring you details as they are available. If you have the time, check out the link to the article we included. It will keep you entertained.

COURTESY: AWFUL ANNOUNCING

TIP OF THE DAY

Prioritize your health. It has a huge impact on every facet of your life. Any time or money invested in your health will have an exponential return on the investment. Eat right. Exercise. Get enough sleep. Take care of your mental health.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. —Lao Tzu

SOURCES: