Democracy Dies in Darkness

Conservatives grumbling about censorship say they’re flocking to Parler. They told us so on Twitter.

The pro-Trump Internet can’t stop talking about their exodus from Big Tech. But very few of them have actually abandoned their long-time social media homes.

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November 23, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. EST
Parler positions itself as the "free speech" alternative to Twitter and Facebook. And after the 2020 election, conservatives welcome that. (Video: The Washington Post)

Maria Bartiromo, the Fox Business anchor seen on TV six days a week, has joined a chorus of pro-Trump commentators urging followers to flock to Parler, the social network that promises no fact-checking or “editorial bullies trying to tell you what to think.”

She told Parler chief executive John Matze in an interview earlier this month that Twitter, where she has 927,000 followers and has posted more than 33,000 tweets, has suppressed conservative speech so mercilessly that President Trump himself should abandon the site.