Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon tweeted out a picture of an email he received on Thursday, June 24, from the e-newsletter marketing service Mailchimp.
I’d email everyone to let them know @Mailchimp just suspended our account but Mailchimp just suspended our account. pic.twitter.com/vrcca5Vjwt
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) June 24, 2021
The posted picture of the Mailchimp notice claims that The Babylon Bee has been suspended for violating “our Standard Terms of Use and Acceptable Use Policy”. The message did not provide a specific incident for the online publication’s suspension or an explanation as to what triggered the removal, but simply a generic link to its policy, which states:
Mailchimp does not allow the distribution of content that is, in our sole discretion, materially false, inaccurate, or misleading in a way that could deceive or confuse others about important events, topics, or circumstances.
If you violate any of these rules, then we may issue a warning to, suspend, or terminate your account.
It seems the company through which almost 70% of all email marketing is sent has decided to screen the content of those emails and arbitrarily censor by its own judgment.
The Babylon Bee is one of the largest humor satire sites on the internet, with close to a million followers on Twitter and on Facebook. Its satirical articles are regularly shared by the internet’s largest influencers.
Mailchimp did respond to Dillon about its “mistake” via Twitter with a note of reinstatement, but not before Dillon had made other plans, saying, “Thank you, but we’re moving to an email service provider that doesn’t make these ‘mistakes.’ We’d also prefer to be on a platform that doesn’t censor conservatives for being ‘hateful’ or ‘misinformative.'”
Thank you, but we’re moving to an email service provider that doesn’t make these “mistakes.” We’d also prefer to be on a platform that doesn’t censor conservatives for being “hateful” or “misinformative.” https://t.co/XSI9EUjOgc
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) June 24, 2021
Multiple comments responding to Dillon’s tweet promise to follow the Bee’s lead and move their email marketing business elsewhere.
The Babylon Bee has been swatted at before and demonetized on Facebook. CNN has attacked the outlet with claims of “fake news,” and the Bee has even threatened legal action against The New York Times for its smear, demanding—and receiving—a retraction.
Kyle Mann, The Babylon Bee’s editor-in-chief, told The Daily Wire the company is trying to be as “independent of third-party technical services” as possible. “They can’t be avoided, but wherever we can, we’ll run our own tech or find a service that’s friendly to free speech.” He also posed a key question: “Have you ever heard of these ‘mistakes’ going the other direction?” {eoa}
John Matarazzo is a digital content specialist for Charisma Media, reports for the Charisma News Podcast and is the host of AlongTheWay on the Charisma Podcast Network.
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