No surprise, but still shocking to see the proof.

A new batch of #TwitterFiles dropped Monday morning focused on COVID-19 response. Bottom line? We were manipulated … and denied basic, factual, information.

David Zweig of The Free Press had the honors of revealing this batch of Twitter files. His examination shows “The United States government pressured Twitter and other social media platforms to elevate certain content and suppress other content about Covid-19.”

More specifically:

1. THREAD:

THE TWITTER FILES: HOW TWITTER RIGGED THE COVID DEBATE

– By censoring info that was true but inconvenient to U.S. govt. policy
– By discrediting doctors and other experts who disagreed
– By suppressing ordinary users, including some sharing the CDC’s *own data*

— David Zweig (@davidzweig) December 26, 2022

Just can’t get past that first line: They censored “info that was true.” During a deadly pandemic.

For example, when Biden came in, his administration directed Twitter to go after “anti-vaxxer” accounts. In fact, the White House was quoted as being “very angry” not enough action was being taken by social media companies. Remember Biden saying in summer of 2021 that social media companies were “killing people” for allowing vaccine “misinformation”? Alex Berenson was a specific target of direct pressure from the White House for laying out the dangers that were being uncovered in studies abroad. (He, of course, turned out to be right.)

14. But Twitter did suppress views—many from doctors and scientific experts—that conflicted with the official positions of the White House. As a result, legitimate findings and questions that would have expanded the public debate went missing.

— David Zweig (@davidzweig) December 26, 2022

Zweig’s examination of the Twitter files showed there was “bias bent heavy toward establishment dogmas. Inevitably, dissident yet legitimate content was labeled as misinformation, and the accounts of doctors and others were suspended both for tweeting opinions and demonstrably true information.”

How ridiculous did it get? They were labeling as misleading and shutting down tweets that included the CDC’s own data!

Telling People “Don’t Be Afraid” Was Bad?!?!

It gets even more ridiculous. Remember when Donald Trump got COVID? The day he was released from the hospital, he sent out an optimistic tweet announcing his release. “Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed under the Trump Administration some really great drugs & knowledge.”

Echoes of “You have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” What you want out of a president, right? Not if you’re a former FBI General Counsel turned Deputy General Counsel for Twitter who interfered in two elections to try and stop Trump. James Baker thought telling people not to be afraid was a violation of Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policy. In this case, Twitter honcho Yoel Roth had to inform Baker optimism wasn’t misinformation.

Elon Musk promised that today’s drop is just the beginning of the story of the government’s work with Twitter to censor and shape COVID messaging. More will come next week. But you can read Zweig’s full thread here.

Zweig Summarizes … in Heartbreaking Fashion

Zweig’s report on the government and Twitter’s conspiracy to thwart open discussion of COVID-19 concludes:

Twitter made a decision, via the political leanings of senior staff, and govt pressure, that the public health authorities’ approach to the pandemic – prioritizing mitigation over other concerns – was “The Science” …

Information that challenged that view, such as showing harms of vaccines, or that could be perceived as downplaying the risks of Covid, especially to children, was subject to moderation, and even suppression. No matter whether such views were correct or adopted abroad. (Emphasis added.)

In other words, Twitter ignored data coming in from around the world and the opinions of esteemed medical professionals and researchers to push a political agenda: that “government knows best. Period. Even in the face of contrary data or opinion.” They chose Fauci over facts. They put all their chips on same local officials who said that protesting George Floyd’s death was okay, but going to church wasn’t.

Zweig asks a fair … and ultimately heartbreaking … question:

What might this pandemic and its aftermath have looked like if there had been a more open debate on Twitter and other social media platforms — not to mention the mainstream press — about the origins of Covid, about lockdowns, about the true risks of Covid in kids, and much more?

A very good guess: Many more lives would have been saved. Fewer lives would have been ruined. Fewer lives would be in danger now from the effects of mandated COVID vaccines. Trust in public health officials would not have been shattered. And our children would not have lost two years of education they may never get back.

Will the generations forgive what was done to them?

We await the further #TwitterFiles revelations. And we await a full accounting.

Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream, chief barista for The Brew and co-author, with John Zmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl at GETTR, Gab, Parler, and now at TRUTH Social.