Even in 1938, US media companies had stepped in to silence the hate speech of a public figure
Father Charles E Coughlin, a Nazi-sympathising Catholic priest with unfettered access to vast radio audiences, used to attack his enemies using falsehoods. Jan 19, 2021 · 11:30 pm Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have recently silenced false claims of Donald Trump and his supporters. | Olivier Douliery/AFP
In speeches filled with hatred and falsehoods, a public figure attacks his enemies and calls for marches on Washington. Then, after one particularly virulent address, private media companies close down his channels of communication, prompting consternation from his supporters and calls for a code of conduct to filter out violent rhetoric.