The Free Speech Grift: How Media Accountability Became 'Censorship'

Nigel Farage's weaponisation of 'free speech' to mean 'zero accountability' reveals lots about his real motives, writes the Bear

Another week, another piece of manufactured outrage amplified by the usual suspects in the media.

This time, Nigel Farage and his usual cohort of outrage merchants at GB News are in full meltdown over the closure of C8, a right-wing French TV channel owned by billionaire Vincent Bolloré.

According to Farage, this represents a “massive attack on free speech and media plurality,” a supposed sign that Europe is clamping down on conservative voices. He even invokes Vice President JD Vance, who recently used the Munich Security Conference to suggest that the continent is engaged in an authoritarian purge of free speech.

Except, of course, that’s absolute nonsense.

As usual, Farage conveniently leaves out the crucial details that completely dismantle his narrative. C8 wasn’t “shut down” because the French Government disliked its editorial stance. It lost its broadcasting licence due to repeated and serious violations of French media regulations – rules designed to uphold journalistic standards, protect minors, and ensure pluralism in public discourse. France’s media watchdog, ARCOM, refused to renew the channel’s licence, and the courts upheld their decision.

A crackdown on free speech? Hardly. A channel finally facing the consequences of years of regulatory breaches? Absolutely.

Here’s why it’s a story that carries some lessons for Farage’s own channel too.