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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on January 17, 2022 in a Facebook post: “DirecTV cancels OAN after Joe Biden orders media outlets and tech giants to banish voices that deviate from the regime’s official narrative.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Facebook Fact-checks * Viral image ![\\"Ciara](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke January 19, 2022 # No, Biden didn’t order media companies to ‘banish voices\' that deviate from \'official narrative\' #### If Your Time is short * President Joe Biden urged social media companies and news outlets to \"deal with misinformation and disinformation\" on their platforms, but he didn’t order DirecTV to drop One America News Network, as this post suggests. See the sources for this fact-check DirecTV plans to drop One America News Network when its parent company’s contract with the satellite-TV provider expires in April, Bloomberg reported Jan. 14. The conservative channel was a favorite of Donald Trump’s when he was president, and it has drawn the ire of critics who say that OAN spreads misinformation. (PolitiFact has fact-checked two claims made by the network and found them false.) But a recent claim spreading on social media that DirecTV canceled OAN after President Joe Biden \"orders media outlets and tech giants to banish voices that deviate from the regime’s official narrative\" is wrong. Posts sharing the claim were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The claim comes from a headline on a Jan. 14 Gateway Pundit story that cites remarks Biden made during a meeting about the military’s role in helping hospitals respond to COVID-19. Toward the end of his remarks, Biden said: \"I make a special appeal to social media companies and media outlets. Please deal with the misinformation and disinformation that’s on your shows. It has to stop. COVID-19 is one of the most formidable enemies America has ever faced. We’ve got to work together, not against each other.\" #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 30, 2024 in a post \"Samsung drops out of $1 billion advertising campaign with Olympics.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 2, 2024 This isn’t an order, and a spokesperson for DirecTV told NPR that calls from outside groups to drop OAN didn’t drive the company’s decision to do so. **RELATED VIDEO** AT&T, majority owner of DirecTV, once helped OAN thrive, according to the findings of a Reuters investigation. But the company and Herring Networks Inc., which owns OAN, had a contentious relationship long before Biden’s remarks. After AT&T bought DirecTV in 2015, it stopped airing OAN. Then Herring sued AT&T, which agreed to carry the channel as part of a settlement. The DirecTV spokesperson told NPR that the company considers several factors when deciding whether to renew a contract, including in this case whether OAN appealed to a broad enough base of customers. The Facebook post suggests that DirecTV dropped OAN on Biden’s orders but there’s no evidence to support such claims. Biden urged media companies to stop spreading misinformation about COVID-19, but he didn’t direct them to make specific business decisions. We rate this post False. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post, Jan. 17, 2022 NPR, DirecTV to drop One America News Network, Jan. 15, 2022 Bloomberg, DirecTV to Drop One America News in Blow to Conservative Channel, Jan. 14, 2022 The White House, Remarks by President Biden at Virtual Meeting on Military Deployments Supporting Hospitals for the COVID-⁠19 Response, Jan. 13, 2022 C-SPAN tweet, Jan. 13, 2022 Gateway Pundit, DirecTV Cancels OAN after Joe Biden Orders Media Outlets and Tech Giants to Banish Voices that Deviate from the Regime’s Official Narrative, Jan. 14, 2022 Reuters, How AT&T helped build far-right One America News, Oct. 6, 2021 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Ciara O\'Rourke slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 21, 2024 in an X post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris using a teleprompter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 18, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows a toilet after “some Hezbollah operative blew up.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on September 21, 2024 in an Instagram post: “A staffer reveals that Kamala Harris doesn’t actually own a gun.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 23, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 18, 2024 in a Threads post: Melania Trump “was an escort.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Elon Musk silences Taylor Swift: Shocking ban wipes out 1 million followers and costs her a staggering $72 million!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Haitians are responsible for the disappearance of 16 cats in Bangor, Maine. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 15, 2024 in a Facebook post: Photos show a toddler “saved” by Deputy Tyler Cooper. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 24, 2024 in a Threads post: Says Donald Trump said, “Women are miserable — not sexy, not safe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 21, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift faces a 10-game NFL ban following controversial political involvement.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: Photo shows missing couple Raymond Peterson and his wife, Sophie. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 20, 2024 in a Threads post: “Oprah is a sex trafficker. She’s been caught and now has to be escorted around” by U.S. marshals ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift’s concert attendance drops after Harris endorsement: ‘No Fans, just empty seats and echoes.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris “hammered.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" 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![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 18, 2024 in a Threads post: Melania Trump “was an escort.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Elon Musk silences Taylor Swift: Shocking ban wipes out 1 million followers and costs her a staggering $72 million!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ### No, Biden didn’t order media companies to ‘banish voices\' that deviate from \'official narrative\' * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on 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September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Elon Musk silences Taylor Swift: Shocking ban wipes out 1 million followers and costs her a staggering $72 million!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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DirecTV cancels OAN after Joe Biden orders media outlets and tech giants to banish voices that deviate from the regime’s official narrative