Fake News on X is a big threat to Free Speech

Embargo: 00:01hrs GMT on 24th March 2026*

Fake News on X is a big threat to Free Speech

On the one-week anniversary of its creation, the Defend UK Campaign for Free Speech has issued a warning that free speech without consequence will be the death of free speech itself. It comes as researchers track an escalation in the generation  of misinformation and AI generated images around the USA -Israel Iran War.  (24th March 2026*)

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Defend UK's criticism is targeted directly at X in the knowledge that its owner, Elon Musk claims that regulating a person's speech is itself a threat to free speech whereas campaigns such as Defend UK and Amnesty International recognise that speaking freely without any appropriate regulation can badly backfire on global society.

According to BBC Verify, even X has felt it necessary to put a temporary sanction on those seemingly benefiting from the monetisation  offered by the platform from dramatic  posts now being watched by people seeking the latest news. But such monetisation is backfiring against accuracy and truth.

The founder of the volunteer led defend campaign initiated in the UK, Jason Tanner said: "Musk has been a master of deception for quite sometime and simple analysis points to a parallel with U.S President, DonaldTrump. The world is still waking up to this, but time is ticking and mass-blindness to the damage that platforms like X creates could be critical and permanent

" Humans don't have the time or resource that they should have to properly research and then take action in ways that a democratic and fair system overseen by the rule of law would demand and the rug is being swept from under their feet. Of course that's easy for me to say in  a world  so full of noise created by people who think they are being heard, but they are not. "

Jason Tanner, the news commentator and founder of defend UK sets out what  he believes  free speech actually is and its relationship to modern democracy. Jason reveals free speech never exists universally, and that democracies must take note for their own survival.

Speech alone, whether deemed free or not is the creator of all  political systems, including democracy and is the genesis of any form of control of one human over another.  But in 2026  Jason warns that  the term 'Free Speech' is being used against the people because it is fundamentally flawed. "It's complex and has very  rarely existed in any society, if at all . It's evolved as  a  widely misunderstood and badly explained term throughout the world for far too long. The Free Speech concept is unprotected and open to abuse and is currently being weaponised in new ways to  control what gets said and heard. Our options to access a wide range of thoughts and information or to effectively express ourselves are being suffocated by modern-day smoke and mirrors." 

Amongst the definitions of free speech both here and elsewhere, Jason Tanner states that any claims to be the home of free speech are fake speech . This is a founding principle of the  defend UK campaign for free speech. Free speech only exists as an admirable dream or future ideal, but is now being used as a false and inaccurate description. Free Speech is rarely found in human existence ", especially when there's more than one person in any room."  Tanner turns the historic, innocent and  populist understanding of free speech on its head and proposes  we should all take better care of our wording.

In 2026 'Fair Speech' , 'Fairer Speech' or 'Fairer Free Speech' needs to replace or  at least strengthen the original  free speech concept and are actually more accurate descriptors. This action alone would make a major contribution to the defence of the Free Speech dream.  Free Speech is a fake reality and Fairer Free Speech is what most people actually mean; It should be used more accurately as part of defending democracy.

"At the moment, key players in social media are claiming they are the only source of news and free speech, and unfortunately, the less media literate are falling for their fake claims. "

Notes for editors:

*This release had additional information added on 30/04/26 with additional references to fake AI imagery inserted and the response by X /Twitter to the dangers of monetising its own posts. ( The original shorter version is below , for reference and transparency). 

Jason Tanner, News Commentator and Director of the Defend UK campaign for fairer free speech: With his career launching as a Broadcast Journalist, Jason Tanner developed expertise in wide ranging disciplines such as politics, cancer research, monarchy, heritage, tourism, entertainment and volunteering. He progressed to a senior level in both media and public relations. This followed an initial five years as a broadcast journalist for BBC and Independent Local Radio including Radio Mercury FM / Mercury Extra & BBC Surrey / Southern Counties. He has led successful talented teams for one of the nation’s largest charities, the National Trust and the national volunteering & training charity CSV, (now known as Volunteering Matters). He is a Royal Historian and has been studying history throughout his school, graduate and post-graduate studies. Spurred on by current threats to free speech, he became the founding Director of the Defend UK campaign for fairer free speech. 

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Original version: Embargo: 00:01hrs GMT on 24th March 2026

Fake News on X is the biggest threat to Free Speech

On the one-week anniversary of its creation, the Defend Campaign for Free Speech has issued a warning that free speech without consequence will be the death of free speech itself. It comes as research tracks levels of misinformation and AI generated Iran War images.

The criticism is targeted directly at X in the knowledge that its owner, Elon Musk claims that regulating a person's speech is itself a threat to free speech. But the founder of the volunteer led defend campaign initiated in the UK, Jason Tanner said: "Musk has been a master of deception for quite sometime and simple analysis points to a parallel with U.S President, DonaldTrump. The world is still waking up to this, but time is ticking and mass-blindness to the damage that platforms like X creates could be critical and permanent

" Humans don't have the time or resource that they should have to properly research and then take action in ways that a democtaic and fair system overseen by teh rule of law would demand and the rug is beinhg swept from under their feet. Of course that's easy for me to say in  a world  nos full of noise created by people who think they are being heard, but they are not."