Iowa State Rep. Jon Jacobsen spoke at length Wednesday evening about censorship happening by his local newspaper — the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil. And it involves the medical freedom bill Jacobsen is working on in the House.
“One of the greatest hallmarks of our Republic has always been its free press, and freedom of speech,” Jacobsen said. “But today, creeping fascism, and that’s what it is, that plagues our social media, is now knocking America’s print papers down one by one.”
Jacobsen said the Daily Nonpareil is refusing to allow people to have free expression of their ideas.
“It has been reported to me by many physicians, medical experts and intelligent and reasonable readers of The Daily Nonpareil of Council Bluffs, that as they have attempted now for weeks to have letters to the editor published in our defense, in my defense, they have been slapped down over and over again by the fascist censorship that is now being used by the Daily Nonpareil,” Jacobsen said. “This is tragically unAmerican. And I will not stand for it.”
Jacobsen asked those individuals to send him the letters to the editor that the paper is refusing.
“We cannot allow fascism to control us,” he said. “And we cannot allow censorship to silence and muzzle us.”
The paper published a critique of the legislation that is a work-in-progress. Yet it is refusing to publish responses, according to Jacobsen.
After reading one of the letters, Jacobsen said he will help the Daily Nonpareil with a final proofreader’s mark.
“Free up speech,” he said. “So that we can have free speech now.”
