Facebook and Google have repeatedly blocked American Heritage's content because they can't tell the difference between Russian trolls and a trusted, award-winning magazine.
Congress should investigate the widespread censorship of quality journalism by Facebook and Google, and their discriminatory practices against respected legacy publications.
Given the widespread ignorance about American history, one would think it helpful for American Heritage to disseminate trusted information about our nation's past to as many people as possible, as we have for 70 years.
But social media companies such as Facebook and Google make it difficult and expensive to disseminate this important information, while, at the same time, promoting frivolous and unvetted writing by amateurs.
Facebook blocked five American Heritage posts in a row in February 2020. All of them were respectable essays about American history written by trusted experts.
Facebook forces us to pay to have our posts seen by more than a handful of people. But these paid "boosts" of our content are often blocked by lifeless algorithms or corporate reviewers who apparently have no idea what our articles are about.
But Facebook has rejected dozens of American Heritage posts for being too political in the last few months, including posts about essays by trusted authors such as:
Facebook blocked our editorial lamenting the spray-painting of statues of patriots in Lafayette Square by protesters who were probably unaware they were young immigrants and revolutionaries. Steve UsdinAn article on Barbara Rose Johns, the civil rights icon who, at age 16 years, led a strike against school segregation in Farmville, Virginia in 1951
The idiots at Facebook can't tell the difference between quality historical writing and disinformation produced by a Russian troll farm.
Google is little better. We receive an e-mail EVERY SINGLE DAY from Google saying that we are in violation of their standards.
The ironic thing is that the 500 or so e-mails Google has sent us do not say what the violation actually is or how to fix it – just that a page on our website (out of 50,000 such pages) is in violation. We have been receiving them since we published Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joe Ellis’s brilliant essay on Antonin Scalia’s argument on the 2nd Amendment case, DC v Heller.
To add injury to insult, over the last three years, Facebook and Google have siphoned off virtually all website ad revenue from traditional publications such as American Heritage, leaving us with nothing but ugly intrusive ads that bring in pennies of revenue.
It is time to stop the predatory practices that are doing real damage to legitimate, trusted publications. We desperately need an electorate that has access to quality education, not just funny videos.
Stop blocking trusted content from getting to readers who want it and need it.
Now in its 75th year, American Heritage relies on contributions from readers like you to survive. You can support this magazine of trusted historical writing and the volunteers that sustain it by donating today.
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