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Senator Klobuchar Refuses to Answer Evita Duffy’s Question on ‘Health Misinformation Act’

John KolettisbyJohn Kolettis
April 8, 2022
in News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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Senator Klobuchar Refuses to Answer Evita Duffy’s Question on ‘Health Misinformation Act’
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On the last day of the “Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy” conference hosted by the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP), Chicago Thinker co-founder and Managing Editor Evita Duffy grilled Senator Amy Klobuchar (D., Minnesota) on the seemingly unlimited reach of her bill targeting “misinformation.” 

Duffy asked  Klobuchar to clarify her proposed bill, the Health Misinformation Act, under which social media companies would  be held liable for proliferating user content with “health misinformation” regarding “public health emergencies.” This would be accomplished by selectively stripping platforms of their “provider” privileges under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The definitions of “health misinformation” and “public health emergency” are left to the discretion of the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“If I were to say there are only two sexes –male and female – would that be considered misinformation that you think should be banned speech on social media platforms?” asked Duffy. 

WATCH: Congresswoman Amy Klobuchar REFUSES to answer Evita Duffy’s question on whether Klobuchar’s recent bill banning “health misinformation” on social media will include a ban on saying there are two sexes—male and female. @evitaduffy_1 pic.twitter.com/xeVzTfkNTo

— The Chicago Thinker (@ThinkerChicago) April 8, 2022

“I am not going to get into what misinformation–,” Klobuchar began, laughing. She refused to answer Duffy’s question and quickly pivoted to explain that she has proposed two bills for consideration, the Health Misinformation Act and the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. The latter bill seeks to crack down on potential antitrust and consumer choice violations by “large online platforms” like Facebook. 

Klobuchar failed to clarify whether assertions like “there are only two sexes” could be considered “misinformation” under the Health Misinformation Act, or whether she considers this assertion to be factual.

‘Taking back gatekeeping power’

Duffy’s exchange with Klobuchar comes off the heels of her appearance on Fox and Friends this morning, where she discussed how the Thinker effectively transformed the “disinformation” conference into “a national conversation” about the corporate media’s well-documented history of spreading lies. 

Duffy implied that the corporate media’s commitment to combating “disinformation”  is a disingenuous pretense for consolidating “gatekeeping power.” “What we discovered is that […] event speakers like Anne Applebaum, […] Brian Stelter, and Jonah Goldberg don’t actually care about rooting out disinformation because they talked the whole time about taking back power,” she argued. “They said that they need the corporate, mainstream media to take back the gatekeeping power that they had before social media.”

Duffy also emphasized the danger of giving the government regulatory authority over the algorithms used by social media platforms, a proposal supported by many of the IOP event’s speakers. “Obviously, that is so concerning because we know that what they [the corporate media] consider ‘disinformation’ isn’t actually disinformation – it’s information that’s inconvenient to them.” As evidence, she pointed to their dismissive reporting of the Hunter Biden laptop story.

Duffy also praised Thinker writers Daniel Schmidt and Christopher Phillips, who blasted The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum and CNN’s Brian Stelter with questions about the corporate media’s complicity in spreading disinformation. 

“All it took was a couple of college kids to get together and turn this entire farce of an event into a national conversation about the corporate media’s disinformation and their bias,” said Duffy.

Evita Duffy: “All it took was a couple of college kids to get together and turn this entire farce of an event into a national conversation about the corporate, liberal media's disinformation and their bias.” @evitaduffy_1 pic.twitter.com/Z9ca8g0ORW

— The Chicago Thinker (@ThinkerChicago) April 8, 2022
Tags: Christopher PhillipsCNNDaniel SchmidtDisinformationDuffyEvitaEvita DuffyFake Newsfree speechgovernmentIOPKlobucharmisinformationPoliticsThe University of ChicagoThinkerUChicagoUniversity of Chicago
John Kolettis

John Kolettis

John Kolettis, a Chicago Thinker editor, is a second-year student at the University of Chicago majoring in economics and political science with a minor in classics. John is a proud Floridian who plans to enter real estate and development after college. In his free time, John likes watching the Chicago Bears, hiking, and SCUBA Diving. He can be reached by email at jgkolettis@uchicago.edu.

Comments 14

  1. Josh says:
    10 months ago

    What you guys are doing is awesome! I’m 35 now but I stopped watching tv when I was 11 and I feel I’m much wiser for it. It forced me to think for myself and seek out my own information and while that is much more work than sitting watching tv.. I think it has a huge reward in the long run. It isn’t easy sorting through multiple sources and trying to make sense of the truth. But its a vital process in any real democracy that has been missing for longer than many people realize. Thank you for your hard work! It gives me a ray of hope in these ridiculous times.

  2. Aäron Heijman says:
    10 months ago

    Great well done ! I am Dutch and follow the
    Disaster in the US with the Biden adm.
    Please send me regulair your news !
    Go on with honest and independent activities!
    Aäron Heijman

  3. Aäron Heijman says:
    10 months ago

    Great well done ! I am Dutch and follow the
    Disaster in the US with the Biden adm.
    Please send me regulair your news !
    Go on with honest and independent activities!
    Aäron Heijman

  4. Patty Powley says:
    10 months ago

    Exceedingly refreshing and gave me hope that there are some in the next generation to take up the banner for truth. I’m sharing this with many other young people who I believe are slightly intimated with the tactic of the current democrats ruining our country.
    Thanks so much and I know we’ll be hearing more from all three of you!

  5. Pamela says:
    10 months ago

    Fabulous! The latest talking point word “disinformation “. They never answer the question, just look down their nose, laugh and go to disinformation.
    You all took them on and beat the disinformation outta them. Keep going, show the social media we’re in the majority… on campus, at home in the office, wherever.
    Thank you.

  6. Ramon Cranert says:
    10 months ago

    It warmed my heart (while holding my sides laughing) to see those young fellows Christopher and Daniel obliterate a bunch of smug establishment gasbags twice and maybe thrice their age. I’m fairly long-in-the-tooth myself–in my day, student newspapers were dead tree publications and nobody had ever heard of website. In a school as big as Chicago, there must be multiple student publications– and doubtless, NOT of a conservative/libertarian bent. I was just wondering if this website models itself after “The American Thinker”– another great website? Maybe I should’ve consulted an FAQ link, if it exists. Ciao, for now, young heroes and heroines.

  7. Harriett Kane says:
    10 months ago

    KUDOS for your ability of free thinking. Keep up the good work.
    Now all you guys need to do is accept that people like Eric Bolling, who are anxious to come to you and include Liberal students in the platform.
    I hope to God that more students decide to become REAL journalists.

  8. Christine Jones says:
    10 months ago

    All of you Chicago Thinkers are amazing and brave and intelligent. You give me hope for the future.

  9. Free speech radical says:
    10 months ago

    The thinker must have cut off the end of the video, because they totally missed the part where Amy klobuchar also refused to answer my question about if I would be allowed to keep posting images of my prolapsed rectum to her Facebook wall. It’s NOT health misinformation even though it does look like I made it out of model magic and condoms. Anyways, I have your back Evita, and i really would appreciate if you posted the full video because I would also like to go on the Ben Shapiro show for reasons…

  10. Ellen Ratliff says:
    10 months ago

    So proud of this amazing group of young Americans. I was beginning to lose hope and faith. You all have restored my hope. I love watching you go after the truth.

  11. CharlieSeattle says:
    10 months ago

    Go Chicago Thinker! I to was beginning to lose hope and faith in the U of C. Continue with the efforts.

  12. zoritoler imol says:
    9 months ago

    Can I simply say what a relief to search out someone who truly knows what theyre speaking about on the internet. You positively know how to carry an issue to light and make it important. More people have to read this and perceive this facet of the story. I cant imagine youre not more well-liked since you undoubtedly have the gift.

  13. Elmo Schnee says:
    9 months ago

    I have been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this kind of house . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this site. Studying this information So i am glad to show that I’ve a very good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most indisputably will make sure to don¦t overlook this web site and give it a glance regularly.

  14. jorge says:
    9 months ago

    Senator also blatantly lied! Said 3 times the bill was limited to “vaccine misinformation”. In the bill you linked, in the “Findings” section where it gives the reason for the bill, not only does it encompass other treatments and preventative measures besides just the vaccine, and misinfo about COVID in general, but it gives the Secretary of HHS broad discretion on definining health misinfo.

    “…. *AFTER* the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services… *SHALL ISSUE guidance regarding WHAT CONSTITUTES HEALTH MISINFORMATION* ”

    The bill doesnt prevent HHS from labeling ANYTHING as health misinfo, even if it has nothing to do with health, and abusing this power would be no more surprising than the ridiculous discretion people use to label certain news “fake news”.

    Her lie should be submitted to the fact checker orgs. (Sorry, I don’t have any more time to do it myself)
    politifact.com
    snopes
    mediabiasfactcheck.com/factual-news-search

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