It was reported on Wednesday afternoon that nationally-syndicated radio host and Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck’s podcast, The Glenn Beck Program, had been deplatformed by Apple Podcasts.
In a video response, Beck expressed confusion about why his show was removed from the podcast platform, noting that there had been no warning or strikes prior to its removal. He speculated that the episode entitled “Trump vs. Biden: Which is the Crime Family?” had something to do with the apparent censorship.
The episode, and all of the other previous podcasts, were taken down Wednesday afternoon after Apple Podcasts notified Beck of an “issue” with the show which “must be resolved before it’s available on Apple Podcasts.”
Beck told TheBlaze that removing his show from Apple Podcasts could mean a loss of “millions of listeners” and revenue. “We have abided by their rules,” he said.
I have a feeling these “issues” with @Apple and others will keep happening the more we’re over the target. pic.twitter.com/RvATfZdUzJ
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) August 16, 2023
He also said he was astonished by the move, asking, “When did we stop being the country that would ‘fight for your right to say it?'”
The Blaze announced that, in light of the apparent effort to silence the conservative host, they would be offering a $30 discount on BlazeTV subscriptions with the code “WILLNOTBECENSORED.”
This incident echoes other recent deplatforming efforts, including the deplatforming of former President Donald Trump and his blog, and the removal of the Parler social network from both Apple and Google app stores.
TheBlaze reached out to Apple for comment, but did not hear back immediately.
Conservatives and Trump supporters have been vocally critical of the tech industry’s alleged censorship efforts, arguing that any efforts to silence conservative voices is a violation of the right to freedom of speech and expression.
Only time will tell what the long-term implications of recent deplatforming efforts will be, but one thing is clear: conservatives are concerned that the deplatforming of popular conservative voices will result in a lack of diversity of knowledge in the potentially massive online marketplace for ideas.
So what’s the “issue” @Apple?! pic.twitter.com/r111EXD8uS
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) August 16, 2023
