

ICYMI | Jimmy Kimmel & The Death Of Free Speech Online
Sep 27, 2025
Kat Tenbarge, an Internet culture reporter for Spitfire News, dives into the heated debate surrounding free speech online, triggered by reactions to Charlie Kirk's death. She explores how influencers blur lines between politics and celebrity, shaping societal responses. Tenbarge highlights chilling effects of laws like FOSTA-SESTA on marginalized voices and discusses how online platforms wield censorship through biased algorithms. Finally, she offers strategies for counteracting these trends through civic engagement and media literacy.
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Influencers Reshape Political Narratives
- Influencers blur lines between celebrity and politics, changing how political violence is perceived and reacted to.
- Kat Tenbarge argues Charlie Kirk was treated as an approachable influencer, which amplified public outrage and social pressure.
How FOSTA-SESTA Quietly Censored The Web
- FOSTA-SESTA drastically expanded online censorship under the guise of combating sex trafficking.
- Kat Tenbarge says its effects reached far beyond porn, silencing LGBTQ content, abortion information, and creators' livelihoods.
Vague Laws Enable Targeted Content Bans
- New bills expand vague definitions of pornography to police wide swaths of content, targeting marginalized groups.
- Tenbarge links these legislative pushes to a pattern similar to the long erosion of abortion rights.