AT&T DirecTV's removal of Newsmax at the expense of numerous liberal channels that receive carriage fees "raises a lot of red flags" of "pretty obvious" political bias, according to Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga.
"It's under our jurisdiction, and certainly we want to get to the bottom of this," Carter, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told Friday's "Prime News" with Jenn Pellegrino. "We don't want to get into any of the private business dealings. That's between two companies.
"But, at the same time, it sure does raise a lot of red flags whenever you see conservative voices being suppressed at the expense of not being able to be on a channel, by not being able to be on a network."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
Carter said the bias is clearly obvious by looking at DirecTV and other cable provider channel lineups.
"All you got to do is compare apples to apples here, how many liberal stations do you have on, and how many conservative stations do you have?" Carter asked.
"That's apples to apples there — and when you see this consistent censoring, if you will, of conservative stations, that certainly does raise a lot of red flags," he said.
AT&T's DirecTV deplatformed two of their only three conservative channels in the past year, with Newsmax removed last month and OAN in April.
AT&T cited cost-cutting for removing both channels, but continues to carry 22 liberal news channels, though most have lower ratings than Newsmax — and all the liberal channels receive hefty license fees.
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy sees AT&T DirecTV's removal of Newsmax as a "blatant act of political discrimination and censorship."
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is back on air!
2. Call your congressman or senator at 202-224-3121 and demand they stop AT&T/DirecTV's censorship of NEWSMAX — ask them to give you a date on the hearings!
3. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.
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