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Alex Stamos wants OANN and Newsmax to be de-platformed, Internet says ex-FB exec 'became what he says he hates'

Speaking to CNN's 'Reliable Sources', he argued that telecommunications giants like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon need to censor right-leaning content

Former Facebook executive Alex Stamos called for conservative news alternatives like OANN and Newsmax to be de-platformed, during his appearance on CNN on Sunday, January 17.

Speaking to CNN's 'Reliable Sources', he argued that telecommunications giants like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon need to censor right-leaning content. "We have to turn down the capability of these conservative influencers to reach these huge audiences," he said, citing right-wing YouTubers who have larger audiences than "daytime CNN". "They are extremely radical, and pushing extremely radical views," Stamos claimed.

He continued: "And then we have to figure out the OANN and Newsmax problem that these companies have freedom of speech, but I'm not sure we need Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, and such to be bringing them into tens of millions of homes. This is allowing people to seek out information if they really want to, but not pushing it into their faces I think is really where we're going to have to go here."

Earlier in the interview, Stamos explained the concept of echo-chambers being created with the advent of the information age, which has brought with it massive social media platforms. This has led people to selectively choose to consume only information that affirms the narrative that has been formed in their heads while ignoring any information that contradicts what they believe. He said that the environment has incentivized media companies to "become more and more radical."

"One of the places you can see this is on the fact that you now have competitors to Fox News on their right, OANN and Newsmax, which are carried by all the major cable networks, who are trying now to outflank Fox [News] on the right because the moment Fox introduced any kind of realism into their reporting, immediately a bunch of people chose to put themselves into a sealed ecosystem," Stamos said.

"They can do that both on cable. They can do it online, and that becomes a huge challenge in figuring out how do you bring people back into the mainstream of fact-based reporting and try to get us back into the same consensual reality."

Stamos was trolled on Twitter by conservatives and the followers of right-leaning media outlets. "@alexstamos has become what he says he hates. We should never allow people to intellectualize intolerance," one of them said, while another said, "Ah yes, the old 'I support freedom of speech, but not yours' approach." A third added, "Attempts to silence people only shed light on the fact that there is much to hide my dear brother."

One more noted, "Oh, look. Someone’s angling for a job in the Ministry of Truth." One more said, "Thanks for the reminder. I will be subscribing to OAN and Newsmax tomorrow morning." The next commented, "Wait so you only believe in free speech if you agree with it??" Another quipped, "You want Verizon, AT&T and Comcast to shut down your competitors is what I’m hearing."

One more stated, "I think we need to define what makes a channel, organization, network, show, etc. a FACTUAL news source vs. OPINION news source. Maybe bring back the Fairness Doctrine."

Another stated, "Every segment on CNN, NBC, NYT, Guardian, BBC etc would have to be called heavy heavy super heavy opinion. I repeat, every second and every word of every segment and every page." One more wrote, "I would be thrilled if my provider didn't carry @CNN." A commenter tweeted, "Media now promoting actual facism."