American Conservative Union senior fellow Mercedes Schlapp told Newsmax Friday that it is an "outrage" that DirecTV and its parent company AT&T removed Newsmax from its satellite television service with "millions" of conservatives across the country needing a source for news.
"[The Conservative Political Action Conference] got engaged in this fight very early on, sending letters to the board members and the CEOs of AT&T and DirecTV making the case that there is a huge number, millions of conservatives across the country, who want to have diversity in terms of their content," Schlapp said during "Eric Bolling: The Balance."
"That want to make sure they are able to listen to center right and conservative news outlets, and here you are having DirecTV basically giving a pass to so many of their left-wing channels that their ratings are not even that high, and Newsmax has higher ratings, and yet, they target Newsmax. That is just simply wrong, and it is an outrage."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship!
The satellite provider removed Newsmax at the end of January citing a business dispute about paying fees to the network, but Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said at the time that the service paid fees to 22 left-wing news outlets, but had not paid anything to Newsmax for its content.
Ruddy said the network was targeted and removed for its political viewpoints.
"[On] most cable systems there are, by any number, at least a dozen, two dozen, news, and information channels. Even the Comedy Channel is liberal news for millennials," Ruddy said during the CPAC conference Thursday. "Kids believe that is news when they tune in.
"Now, [DirecTV] is down to just Fox News Channel, and Fox, in my mind, has been good, but why should the left have so many news choices, but conservatives only have one."
Schlapp said it is good that congressional Republicans are getting involved and may hold hearings to see if it is purely business, or censorship.
"You have congressional members, congressional leadership, on the Republican side, saying, 'We got to get answers to this,' these questions of DirecTV basically boycotting, taking off Newsmax from their platform," she said.
Schlapp's husband, Matt, is the chairman of CPAC, which is holding its annual conference in National Harbor, Maryland, through Saturday.
Matt Schlapp's letter to the companies on Feb. 16 said the organization is "deeply concerned" by the channel's removal.
"On behalf of CPAC and our conservative activists across America, we believe DirecTV should reinstate Newsmax," he said in the letter. "The cancelation of Newsmax is another example of woke CEOs, tech oligarchs, government bureaucrats, and left-wing activists have engaged in information warfare to silence those with whom they disagree."
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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