TikTok censored numerous viral videos alleging inconsistencies in Amber Heard’s testimony after the platform was contacted by Rolling Stone magazine.
Heard is being sued by her ex Johnny Depp for defamation and her routinely dubious claims about his behavior have been subject to cynicism and ridicule.
However, seemingly keen to stop the spread of embarrassing viral videos which portrayed Heard in a bad light, Rolling Stone contacted the platform complaining that the videos ‘glorified violence or suffering’.
One of the videos in question, which was later deleted by TikTok, featured two cats playing the roles of Heard and Depp.
“In the video, Heard’s testimony is reenacted by a cat in a blond wig, with the same cat in a black wig and a Pirates of The Caribbean bandana playing Johnny Depp,” reports Reclaim the Net. “When the video starts, the cat playing Heard is lightly slapped using a finger.”
“The videos mock the alleged inconsistencies in Heard’s testimony, particularly the part where she says that she “turned to look at [Depp]” after he hit her. The original video’s caption read: “Don’t you have to be looking at someone in the face to be able to slap them across it?”
The video, originally posted by a user going by the handle @heyitsgingerandpepper, was removed after clocking up more than 14 million views.
TikTok removed several videos it was alerted to by Rolling Stone journalists, claiming they violated the platforms policies against bullying and harassment, which does not allow “content that disparages victims of violent tragedies.”
Rolling Stone chose to run their hit piece under the lurid headline ‘Demoralizing and Demeaning’: A Gross TikTok Trend Mocking Amber Heard is Going Viral’.”
Yeah, because cat memes are so “gross”.
As if mocking what happened to Heard, or more likely what didn’t happen, represents mocking a ‘violent tragedy’. That’s manifestly absurd.
This is yet another example of how legacy media dogpiling and social media censorship, justified in the name of cracking down on “hate” and “misinformation,” is weaponized to help craft a narrative.
Rand Paul: Elon Musk Will Go Down As A Historic Champion For Free Speech
“Somewhere along the way something happened and people began to think that only certain forms of speech were acceptable.”
Published
2 weeks ago
on
18 May, 2023
Steve Watson
Screenshot
Senator Rand Paul praised Elon Musk Wednesday for standing up for free speech, predicting that the Twitter owner will be recorded as a key figure in history in the fight against censorship.
Referring to Musk’s compelling take down of a CNBC hack earlier this week, Paul noted “Thank God for someone who can still speak their mind and won’t take some guff off a journalist who tells him he can’t speak his mind.”
“Somewhere along the way something happened and people began to think that only certain forms of speech were acceptable,” The Senator urged.
“Then along came Elon Musk,” Paul continued, adding “The country, the Bill of Rights frankly, all of us, are going to be very thankful that a guy with a lot of money bought a social media entity and allowed us to see the government colluding to limit speech.”
“People need to get this right. Private companies can decide what they want to air, newspapers can, television shows can. But what we cannot allow to happen is the government to collude with private business and use them basically as their extension and their arm of censor,” Paul emphasised.
He added that “Elon Musk exposed this only because he had 44 billion dollars to buy a company and expose their inner workings off collusion with government.”
Watch:
Rand Paul:
"Then along came Elon Musk. The country, the Bill of Rights frankly, all of us, are going to be very thankful that a guy with a lot of money bought a social media entity and allowed us to see the government colluding to limit speech."pic.twitter.com/8DFeUtTqAL
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 18, 2023