UltraViolet Urges NBC to Drop RNC Presidential Debate Over Required Partnership with Rumble

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, October 30, 2023
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com

UltraViolet Urges NBC to Drop RNC Presidential Debate Over Required Partnership with Rumble

New Report from The Guardian Identifies Rumble as Engine of Misinformation, Misogyny & Anti-Semitism, Warns NBC News’ Validation of Rumble Will Hurt Democracy

MIAMI, FL — Last Thursday, NBC announced that Lester Holt, Kristen Welker, and Hugh Hewitt will co-moderate the third Republican presidential primary debate on November 8, 2023.

The debate is scheduled to air Wednesday, November 8th in partnership with Rumble, a radical right-wing video-sharing platform known for its promotion of extremist rhetoric and content that promotes misogyny, antisemitism, and racism.

In response, Nicole Regalado, Vice President of Campaigns at UltraViolet, a national gender justice group, issued the following statement:

“NBC’s participation in this GOP primary debate will give Republicans the opportunity to spread lies and misinformation to millions of people. To do so in concert with Rumble makes the network’s problematic attempt to appease a more conservative audience and boost ratings even worse.

“Let’s be clear: Rumble was built on weaponizing toxicity and right-wing radicalization: it is a hotbed for misogyny, antisemitism, and racism. Rumble bankrolled convicted rapist Andrew Tate, and continues to give soapboxes to conspiracy theorists, like Alex Jones. By airing this debate with Rumble, NBC is allowing GOP candidates to spread disinformation to millions of people while validating Rumble as a legitimate news source. All of this undermines our democracy.”

UltraViolet’s new campaign Misogyny: Game Over seeks to disrupt the right-wing’s recruitment and radicalization of young men through misogyny and white nationalism online and in gaming communities, including platforms like Rumble.

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