Trump’s crackdown on fact-checker visas will not protect free speech |
Donald Trump’s war on the truth has taken many forms – spreading thousands of falsehoods, insulting journalists and suing news organizations.
It’s clear he desperately wants to control the message received by the public, and to have his version of reality go unchallenged, whether that’s about a “rigged” election or the decreased price of eggs.
Now there’s a new wrinkle, one that is likely to keep a lot of skilled workers from coming to the United States.
A few days ago, the state department – led by Trump’s appointee and close ally Marco Rubio – instructed staff to deny visas to international applicants who work on factchecking and content moderation.
In other words, crack down on those who try to make the internet safer, to point out lies and misinformation. Keep those workers out.
Applicants for H-1B visas are the first targets. Those visas usually are for highly skilled foreign workers, often in the tech industry.
If applicants have worked in the past on misinformation, disinformation, fact-checking and similar topics, they simply aren’t welcome here. The Guardian described the........