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{{Short description|Internet forum for conservatives}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{update|date=October 2017}}
{{Undue weight|date=March 2020}}
{{primary sources|date=August 2022}}
{{unreliable sources|date=August 2022}}
}}
{{Infobox website
|name = FreeRepublic
|logo = [[File:Free Republic logo.jpg|200px|Free Republic logo]]
|caption = logo displaying motto
|url = {{URL|http://www.freerepublic.com/}}
|commercial = Yes
|type = [[Internet forum|Forum]]
|language = [[English language|English]]
|registration = Required to post
|owner = Jim Robinson
|author = Jim Robinson, John Robinson
|launch_date = {{Start date and age|1997|02}}
|current_status = Active
|revenue = Donations (not deductible)
}}
'''Free Republic''' is a moderated [[Internet forum]] and chat site for self-described [[conservatism|conservatives]], primarily within the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-30-pro-war-money_x.htm|title=Conservatives 'fed up' with protesters|publisher=USATODAY|access-date=2008-02-07|first1=Patrick|last1=O'Driscoll|date=March 31, 2003}}</ref> It presents articles and comments posted [[pseudonym]]ously by registered members, known as "Freepers",<ref name="Stein">{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/07/13/free/print.html|title=Free for all at Free Republic|date=1999-07-13|work=Salon.com}}</ref> using screen names. The site is supported entirely by donations, with [[pledge drive]]s known as "Freepathons" held each quarter.
Free Republic has been involved in several organized conservative campaigns including against CBS anchor [[Dan Rather]] after Rather reported on documents about President [[George W. Bush]]'s service record which turned out to be forgeries, and against [[The Chicks|the Dixie Chicks]] for their antiwar statements.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.image.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/complete_report/CBS_Report.pdf|title=Complete report|work=CBS News}}</ref> Freepers were instrumental in raising the question of a lack of authenticity in the so-called "[[Killian documents authenticity issues|Killian memos]]".
==Local chapters and forum policies==
There are local chapters "unconnected with ''Free Republic''", organized through ping lists, [[e-mail]], and Free Republic mail.<ref>[http://www.techlawjournal.com/courts/freerep/19991101.htm "Free Republic's Reply Memorandum." ''Los Angeles Times v. Free Republic.'' U.S. District Court, C.D.Cal., Case No. 98-7840. November 1, 1999.]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techlawjournal.com/courts/freerep/19991029rob.htm|title=Document: Declaration of James Robinson in LA Times v. Free Republic, 10/_/99.|work=techlawjournal.com}}</ref> Some are only "ping list" groups, members who include their names in a list to be "pinged" on news articles of a certain nature. Some cover presidential events (daily picture, prayer, and speech threads), some focus on contemporary conservative issues such as the [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Second Amendment]], the [[anti-abortion]] movement, or opposing [[gay marriage]]. The more active chapters [[Community organizing|organize]] live protests, which they call "Freeps." Since the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 election]], these are often counter-protests, responses to protests by opposition groups, or small rallies.
As concerns policies and purpose, the main page of Free Republic states,
"Opinions expressed on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Free Republic or its operators. Please enjoy our forum, but also please remember to use common courtesy when posting and refrain from posting personal attacks, profanity, vulgarity, threats, racial or religious bigotry, or any other materials offensive or otherwise inappropriate for a conservative family audience."
"Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government. Free Republic advocates a return to constitutionally limited government, reserving all government powers not expressly delegated by the constitution to the United States to the States respectively, or the people, emphasizing sovereign state governments, local government, self-government and self-rule, while restricting government powers to only those enumerated in the constitution and maximizing individual rights and liberty as originally envisioned and established by our Founding Fathers and secured and defended by the blood of patriots and statesmen for over two hundred years."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Jim |title=Welcome to Free Republic! Conservatives for God, Family, Country! |url=https://freerepublic.com/home.htm |website=Free Republic |access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Jim |title=Reminder: No profanity, no racism, no personal attacks, no threats, no violence, etc. |url=https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3713751/posts |website=Free Republic |access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref>
==
The FreeRepublic.com website is funded through individual contributions each quarter through fundraising on the website. The website generates approximately $250,000 each year by its own admission.
==
===1996–2000: Clinton Administration===
Founded in September 1996 as a sole proprietorship by Founder, Chairman and President James C. "Jim" Robinson<ref>Robinson, James C. [http://www.psnw.com/~jimrob/resume.htm Biographical Resume] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523150304/http://www.psnw.com/~jimrob/resume.htm |date=2007-05-23 }}</ref> of [[Fresno, California]], Free Republic opened to the general public in February 1997. Robinson filed for [[Limited liability company|LLC]] status on September 11, 1998.<ref>California LP/LLC Search [http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowLpllcAllList?QueryLpllcNumber=199825410007 Number 199825410007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111203722/http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowLpllcAllList?QueryLpllcNumber=199825410007 |date=2008-01-11 }} Free Republic LLC</ref> It has always been a for-profit company and thus donations have never been [[tax exempt]].<ref>Morrow, Margaret M., J. [http://www.techlawjournal.com/courts/freerep/19991108.htm Tentative Order] Case No. CV 98-7840-MMM (AJWx) Los Angeles Times et al. vs. Free Republic et al.</ref>
Free Republic gained popularity during the [[Clinton impeachment]] from 1997 till 1999, a time when it was linked on the ''[[Drudge Report]]'' as "[[Whitewater]] Archives," when protests and write-in campaigns were organized through the website. Many were also introduced to the site through an impeachment rally in Washington, attended by over 3000 participants, called the "March for Justice," broadcast live on [[Halloween]] 1998 by [[C-SPAN]]. Featured speakers included [[Alan Keyes]], [[Bob Barr]], Reverend [[Jesse Lee Peterson]] of B.O.N.D. and [[Larry Klayman]]; [[Ann Coulter]], [[Lucianne Goldberg]] and [[Matt Drudge]] also attended.<ref>Political Research Associates [http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v13n1/PE_V13_N1.pdf ''The Public Eye''] Spring 1999, Volume XIII, No. 1</ref> Other Free Republic events over the years have also been televised by C-SPAN.<ref>[http://www.american-partisan.com/cols/2002/king/qtr4/1028.htm fetched 2006-12-30]</ref><ref>York, Anthony April 2, 2001 [http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/04/02/blue/index.html ''Katherine Harris, woman of the year?''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929144338/http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/04/02/blue/index.html |date=2007-09-29 }} Salon.com, fetched 2006-12-30</ref>
Drudge dropped the link to Free Republic by February 1999, "because they were doing racist stuff over the [Clinton love child]... I click on and I see this headline, '[[Nigger]] Baby.'" Drudge quickly restored the link, but later dropped it again for unknown reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/mugger021299.asp|title=Mugger|work=jewishworldreview.com}}</ref> As of April 2008 the Free Republic link is back on Drudge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drudgereport.com|title=DRUDGE REPORT 2015®|work=drudgereport.com}}</ref>
In its early years, Free Republic generally allowed its members to post copyrighted news stories in entirety to its forum, regardless of whether permission had been granted by content owners, until the site was sued in 1998 by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' for copyright infringement. The newspapers obtained a permanent [[injunction]], although stipulated damages of $1 million were reduced to $10,000 during [[legal settlement|settlement]] negotiations which allowed the defendants to drop their [[appeal]].<ref>[http://www.techlawjournal.com/courts/freerep/ Techlawjournal.com]</ref> The case, often cited when arguing [[cyberlaw]], is called ''[[L.A. Times v. Free Republic]]''.
From 1996 to 2000, the bulletin board was virtually unmoderated. This policy was central to the website's "[[fair use]]" defense in the copyright infringement litigation, wherein it stated "(t)he website operated by the defendants, www.freerepublic.com, permits anyone who wishes to post news articles or other items and to post commentary about the article as well ... no [[censorship]] is made and all views are permitted.".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techlawjournal.com/courts/freerep/19991018mem.htm|title=Document: Free Republic's Memorandum in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment, 10/18/99.|work=techlawjournal.com}}</ref> This supposed light moderating hand did not prevent the permanent banishment from the site of such "controversial" contributors as crime author Dan E. Moldea, novelist Todd Brendan Fahey, "What Really Happened" website host Mike Rivero, and Internet poet David Martin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcdave.com/article5/080514.htm|title=See Martin's exchange with Moldea at the end of the article|work=dcdave.com}}</ref>
[[Salon.com]]'s Jeff Stein observed in 1999 that: "[A] swelling number of haters have turned up the volume of death threats, [[gay-bashing]], name-calling and [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] tying [[George H.W. Bush|the father]] of [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] front-runner [[George W. Bush]] to [[drug-dealing]] by the [[CIA]]."<ref name="Stein"/> Robinson "famously blasted George W. Bush's presidential candidacy back in 2000, before a dramatic late-campaign about-face that saw him emerge as one of the GOP ticket's biggest supporters."<ref name="observer">{{cite web|url=http://www.observer.com/2007/free-republic-purge-conservative-web-site-bans-giuliani-supporters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601180620/http://www.observer.com/2007/free-republic-purge-conservative-web-site-bans-giuliani-supporters|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-06-01|title=Free Republic Purge: Conservative Web Site Bans Giuliani Supporters|first=Rebecca|last=Sinderbrand|work=Observer}}</ref> These shifts signalled internal battles comparable to the nomination controversies of 2007 "as its founder and chief administrator first cleansed commenting ranks of Bush supporters, then, later, rallied to his support."<ref name="observer"/>
[[White House Press Secretary]] and former [[Fox News]] commentator [[Tony Snow]] was a registered member of Free Republic. Snow was not afraid to 'mix it up' with the Freepers who sometimes disagreed with his political philosophy and who called him a "pansy".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/03/22/blue/index1.html|title=Judicial Watch: Bush wins (again)|work=salon.com|access-date=2007-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214043415/http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/03/22/blue/index1.html|archive-date=2007-02-14|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Free Republic had been criticized during the pre-moderation period for the actions of several of its members. In 1999, FReepers ran a campaign to make fake donations to the legal defense fund of Julie Hiatt Steele, who had been charged with obstruction of justice during then-President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. Hundreds of fraudulent<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm00941.htm|title=Criminal Resource Manual 941 18 U.S.C. 1343 -- Elements of Wire Fraud|work=usdoj.gov|date=19 February 2015}}</ref> transactions from this campaign cost Ms. Steele around $4000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2003/01/30/frpng.DTL|title=FReep This / How the right-wing is making itself heard|first=Joyce|last=Slaton|date=January 29, 2003|work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Some threatened to [[assassinate]] Clinton, like this from February 2001: "If he keeps on he's going to make me come up there. There is only one solution to the Klintons, two 45 rounds and a nice little spot in Marcy Park."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/02/09/blue/index.html|title=It's going to be a fun four years|work=salon.com|access-date=2006-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225023451/http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/02/09/blue/index.html|archive-date=2007-02-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>
When the bar manager of an [[Austin, Texas]] restaurant called [[9-1-1]] to notify authorities that an underage [[Jenna Bush]] had attempted to purchase liquor in June 2001, the bar manager's personal information including her home address, date of birth, driver's license number and physical description was posted on FreeRepublic, along with calls for punitive action.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/06/06/blue/index.html|title=New theories on the Gore-Clinton split|work=salon.com|access-date=2006-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225002750/http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/06/06/blue/index.html|archive-date=2007-02-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Clinton threat and some of the bar manager's personal information were removed by Robinson when brought to his attention, and the authors' posting privileges were revoked. He said that the site had had to "delete relatively few posts" over time for violations of its "no-violence" policy despite Free Republic's popularity and ease of registration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/02/09/blue/index.html|title=A poster crosses the line on Free Republic forum|date=2001-02-09|work=Salon.com|access-date=2006-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225023451/http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/02/09/blue/index.html|archive-date=2007-02-25|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/06/06/blue/index.html|title=The jihad against Chuy's|access-date=2006-12-11|date=2001-06-06|work=Salon.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225002750/http://archive.salon.com/politics/red/2001/06/06/blue/index.html|archive-date=2007-02-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== 2001–2004: Bush's first term and Killian documents ===
In January 2001, the forum organized the inaugural "Free Republic Gala and Count the Silverware Ball".<ref>[http://www.princeton67.com/notes0/010321.htm Class of 67 Class Notes 03/21/2001<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was attended by radio personality James Golden, who was one of the first high-profile conservatives to invest in the site and the Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson of B.O.N.D.<ref>[http://home.att.net/~alanj.hall/BushInaugural/PhotoPage3.html The FreeRepublic Inaugural Ball & Count The White House Silverware Party<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112021723/http://home.att.net/~alanj.hall/BushInaugural/PhotoPage3.html |date=2008-01-12 }}</ref>
[[File:FReepers.jpg|thumb|right|Members of the independent ''D.C. Chapter'' counter-[[protest]] at an [[anti-war]] demonstration at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on October 2, 2004.]]
During the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 election]], [[Jerome Corsi]], a [[SBVT|Swift Boat Vet]] and co-author of the book ''[[Unfit for Command]]'' that attacked the [[Vietnam War]] record of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, apologized in the national media for comments that he made on Free Republic under the user name "jrlc."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-08-10-book-author-sorry_x.htm|title=USATODAY.com - Anti-Kerry book author sorry for slurs|work=usatoday.com}}</ref>
One of the first responses to "[[Killian documents|Memogate]]", the controversy surrounding [[CBS News]]' use of documents of questionable origin during the 2004 presidential campaign, came on Free Republic the night of the broadcast.<ref>[http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/complete_report/CBS_Report.pdf CBS News] Report of the Investigative Panel p 163</ref> When the "Killian memos" (which were allegedly created during the 1970s) were shown during a CBS News broadcast, a Republican lawyer going by the pseudonym of "Buckhead"<ref name="Wallsten">Wallsten, Peter. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04262/381287.stm "Blogger alleging CBS memos as frauds is GOP lawyer."] ''Los Angeles Times,'' 18 September 2004.</ref> mentioned the memos' proportional spacing and made the claim that such printing was "not widespread until the mid to late 90s".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002039080_buckhead18.html | work=The Seattle Times | title=The Seattle Times: Nation & World: "Buckhead," who said CBS memos were forged, is a GOP-linked attorney}}</ref> Buckhead's post and some responses spread across the blogosphere rapidly, and were picked up by the Drudge Report the following afternoon.<ref name="Drudge">[http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2004/09/09/20040909_185002.htm " '60 Minutes' Documents on Bush Might Be Fake."] Drudge Report Archives. (Retrieved February 5, 2007.)</ref> Within minutes of Buckhead's post, there was some dispute as to whether the Executive line of IBM typewriters had proportionally spaced fonts at the time, arising from a comment on the [[Power Line]] blog. The dispute made headlines when an investigative panel set up to examine [[Killian documents authenticity issues|authenticity issues]] with the documents "was not able to reach a definitive conclusion".<ref name="Dobbs">Dobbs, Michael, and Allen, Mike. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9967-2004Sep9.html "Some Question Authenticity of Papers on Bush."] ''The Washington Post,'' September 10, 2004.</ref> Canadian journalist Ivor Tossell later opined that Free Republic was "central to the network of websites that uncovered the forged memos about Bush's Vietnam service that appeared on CBS News and ultimately cost Dan Rather his job."<ref name="Tossell">Tossell, Ivor. "[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061027.gtweb27/BNStory/Technology/home Free Republic: glass ant farm for zealots]" ''The Globe And Mail,'' 20 October 2006.</ref>
{{details|Killian documents authenticity issues}}
====MD4Bush Incident====
In October 2004, the "MD4Bush" account was created to investigate the source of false rumors that Democratic [[Mayor of Baltimore]] [[Martin O'Malley]] had committed [[adultery]].<ref name="snyder">Snyder, David and Mosk, Matthew. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15385-2005Feb10.html "Uproar Brings Focus on Role Of Bloggers."] ''Washington Post,'' 11 February 2005.</ref> These rumors were suspected to be coming from the camp of [[Governor of Maryland]] [[Robert Ehrlich]].<ref name="snyder"/> O'Malley was a likely (and eventual) opponent of Ehrlich in the [[2006 Maryland gubernatorial election|2006 gubernatorial race]].<ref name="snyder"/> Using this alias, MD4Bush allegedly lured Joseph Steffen, aide to Ehrlich, who had a Free Republic membership as "NCPAC," into contact.<ref name="snyder"/> MD4Bush then allegedly brought up the O'Malley rumors, and baited Steffen into giving responses on the Free Republic "private message" system, appearing to take credit for spreading the rumors.<ref name="snyder"/>
Ehrlich fired Steffen when the contents of these messages were published in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' on February 9, 2005.<ref name="rivera">Rivera, Ray. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR2005110203228.html?nav=rss_metro/md "Ehrlich Firing Probe Advances."] ''Washington Post,'' 3 November 2005.</ref> "Kristinn Taylor, a spokesman for FreeRepublic.com, said [Maryland Democratic Party communications director] Ryan O'Doherty's Democratic Party address was one of at least three used to operate the identity of MD4BUSH."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080112014315/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/942526801.html?dids=942526801:942526801&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+16%2C+2005&author=JENNIFER+SKALKA&pub=The+Sun&desc=Democrat%27s+e-mail+address+tied+to+postings+ "Democrat's e-mail address tied to postings."] ''Baltimore Sun,'' Dec. 16, 2005</ref> Taylor charged that ''Post'' reporter Matthew Mosk's access to the MD4Bush account was a violation of the Free Republic users agreement, and they were "looking into whether the ''Washington Post'' violated the [[Electronic Communications Privacy Act]] when ''Post'' reporter Matthew Mosk accessed the Free Republic account of MD4Bush."<ref>[http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=N2NhNzQ2MWI5OWExN2YwMDk1Zjk5Yjg1NWU1YTg2ZjI= Sprueill, Stephen. "Did the ''Washington Post'' Violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act?" ''National Review Online, November 10, 2005.]</ref>
The e-mail address used in October 2004 to open the MD4Bush account was later changed to rodoherty@mddems.org, then changed for a third time. Anyone who had the password to the MD4Bush account could change the e-mail registration address at any time. It is not known how many people may have had access to that password. The e-mail address information obtained does not shed light on the actual users of the MD4Bush account, nor does it reveal whether someone attached the Ryan O'Doherty e-mail address to the account without his knowledge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbaltv.com/11investigates/5538206/detail.html|title=I-Team Uncovers MD4Bush E-Mail Addresses|date=26 March 2015|work=WBAL-TV}}</ref>
=== 2005–2009: Bush's second term ===
In January 2005, Free Republic organized an unofficial Inaugural Ball at the Washington Plaza Hotel to celebrate the reelection of President Bush and [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]] and to honor the men and women serving in the [[United States Armed Forces]]. The event was promoted to feature then [[Arkansas]] Republican Governor [[Mike Huckabee]] and his [[rock and roll|rock]] band [[Capitol Offense (band)|Capitol Offense]].<ref>[http://www.presidential-inauguration.com/freerball.htm Free Republic Inaugural Ball 2005<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324052314/http://www.presidential-inauguration.com/freerball.htm |date=2007-03-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10286-2005Jan14.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Inauguration: Free Republic|first=Kristinn|last=Taylor|date=January 19, 2005|access-date=May 2, 2010}}</ref>
===
{{Rquote|right|It's scary how much power they do have. They can take down someone single-handedly and I don't think Americans are aware of that." — [[Natalie Maines]] of the [[Dixie Chicks]], speaking about Free Republic.<ref name="Haysen">Haysen, Kirsten. [http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20541859-5006343,00.html "Not Ready to Make Nice."] ''Adelaide Now,'' October 7, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2007.</ref>}}
The band [[Dixie Chicks]] and lead singer [[Natalie Maines]] claim that Free Republic was instrumental in fueling a nationwide [[boycott]] of their music, which was organized by some former fans and radio stations after Maines made anti-Bush comments in 2003. In their 2006 documentary ''[[Shut Up and Sing]]'' as well as in interviews, the Dixie Chicks have often mentioned Free Republic in reference to the boycott, which sharply reduced sales of their [[CD]]s and concert tickets.
[[File:MFJII 02.jpg|thumb|Jim Robinson, waving a U.S. flag at right, musters about two dozen other Freepers for the March for Justice II rally at the Upper Senate Park on the [[United States Capitol]] grounds on Thursday, April 7, 2005.]]
Maines was quoted as saying: "It's scary how much power they do have. They can take down someone single-handedly and I don't think Americans are aware of that."<ref name="Haysen"/> "And I think it was originally started by the Free Republic. And they were very organized in calling radio stations across the country and telling them that they would never listen to their station, when they didn't even live in that town." Kristinn Taylor of Free Republic's dominant Washington, D.C. chapter attended the screening of the documentary, hosted by the liberal advocacy group [[Center for American Progress]]. He was invited to join in a discussion after the screening and complimented the director on the film.<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/washingtonwhispers/061025/dixie_chicks_flick_is_a_good_o.htm Washington Whispers - Nation & World (usnews.com)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.citypaper.com/film/story.asp?id=12989 Film: Shut Up and Sing Takes A Candid Look At Pop Music's Most Fearless Women | 12/6/2006<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212083713/http://www.citypaper.com/film/story.asp?id=12989 |date=2007-02-12 }}</ref>
{{details|Dixie Chicks controversy}}
====Allegations of unfair treatment of Giuliani supporters and others who digress from popular opinions====
In 2007, moderators removed the posting privileges of many members who supported the presidential campaign of then current Republican front-runner [[Rudy Giuliani]]. The ''[[New York Observer]]'' reported:
<blockquote> Starting in April 2007 ... members sympathetic to the former mayor's candidacy claim to have suffered banishment from the site. They were victimized, they say, by a wave of purges designed to weed out any remaining support for the Giuliani campaign...<ref name="observer" /></blockquote>
Robinson himself endorsed [[Fred Thompson]] and was an enthusiastic backer of his campaign.<ref>Hackbarth, Sean. ''Jim Robinson, founder of Free Republic has 'endorsed' Fred Thompson.'' Fred Thompson campaign press release. 3 January 2008.</ref> Robinson has frequently banned fellow conservatives and others who don't completely share his political mindset. Among those claiming to have been permanently banned are several participants in the debate over the violent death of Bill Clinton's Deputy White House Counsel, [[Vince Foster]]. They include Hugh Turley of FBICover-up.com, David Martin of DCDave.com, and Dan E. Moldea of Moldea.com.<ref>[http://www.dcdave.com/article5/080514.htm The Improbability of the D.C. Madam's Suicide], David Martin, June 10, 2008. See May 31, 2008, email from Martin to Moldea near the bottom of the page.</ref> During and after the [[2008 U.S. Presidential election]], according to political commentator [[Sean Hannity]], "[E]veryone I knew basically left because of so much childish, immature personal attacks. The propensity there to eat their own. And a lot of the people—most of the people—I knew that were on it left."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/sean_hannity_vs_free_republic/|title=Sean Hannity vs. Free Republic|work=outsidethebeltway.com|date=17 February 2005}}</ref>
====Instigating Birther rumors about Barack Obama====
On March 1, 2008, a Free Republic poster made the earliest recorded report on the internet of a rumor that then-candidate [[Barack Obama]] was secretly born outside the United States, and was falsely claiming to have been born in Hawaii. The poster may have been inspired by a legal hypothetical expressing a similar fact pattern posted at the law blog [[The Volokh Conspiracy]] the previous day. The Free Republic poster's claim was then promulgated across other blogs in the months that followed, eventually developing into the [[Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories|birther]] movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/sep/20/hillary-clinton-and-birther-movement-still-no-ther/|title=Hillary Clinton and the birther movement: Still nothing there|work=PolitiFact.com|date=September 20, 2016}}</ref>
===2009: Obama administration===
[[James von Brunn]], the white supremacist who [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting|killed a security guard]] at the [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|Holocaust Museum]] in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 2009, posted an article on another site questioning the citizenship of President [[Barack Obama]] (a view held by so-called "[[Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories|birthers]]"); the article was then pasted into a thread on Free Republic. The thread was deleted by moderators after the shooting, but later restored when a review found that it had not violated posting guidelines.<ref>{{Cite news|issn=0740-5421|last=Hesse|first=Monica|title=Notoriety Trumps Preservation as Some Web Sites Scrub Hateful Posts|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2009-06-14|date=2009-06-12|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/11/AR2009061104031.html}}</ref>
In July 2009, after Obama's eleven-year-old daughter [[Family of Barack Obama#Immediate family|Malia]] was photographed wearing a T-shirt with the [[Peace symbols#Peace symbol|peace symbol]], a Free Republic thread featured racially charged comments about Obama's wife and children, using such terms as "[[Ghetto#African American ghettos|ghetto]] street trash". After the thread was criticized, it was eventually suppressed and placed under review. It was then restored to the site intact. Only after persistent criticism did site administrators remove it a second time.<ref name="sun">{{Cite news|last=Parry|first=Chris |title=Conservative Free Republic blog in free speech flap after racial slurs directed at Obama children|newspaper=[[The Vancouver Sun]]|date=July 12, 2009|url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/Conservative+Free+Republic+blog+free+speech+flap+after+racial+slurs+directed+Obama+children/1782375/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104080736/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Conservative+Free+Republic+blog+free+speech+flap+after+racial+slurs+directed+Obama+children/1782375/story.html|archive-date=January 4, 2010}}</ref> In an email response to the incident, Jim Robinson called Obama an "[[Anti-Americanism|American-hating]] [[Marxist]] pig."<ref name="sun" />
In April 2012, after [[Rick Santorum]]'s suspension of his presidential campaign left [[Mitt Romney]] the presumptive Republican nominee, Robinson posted: "FR will never support the abortionist, homosexualist, socialist, mandate loving, constitution trampling liar Mitt Romney,"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2871012/posts|title=Notice: Free Republic has been in full rebellion mode since 2008 and will remain so for the duration|website=www.freerepublic.com|access-date=2017-10-20}}</ref> and indeed, initially, Robinson, the Free Republic site, and many 'Freepers' did not embrace the candidacy of presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Robinson posted to the site, "I'd rather shut the place down than be involved in any effort to install abortionist/gay rights pushing [[Republican in Name Only|RINO]]S like Romney or [[Rudy Giuliani|Giuliani]] into the White House!! Do NOT push this crap on FR. Take your business elsewhere!!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2725798/posts|title=NOTICE: FR DOES NOT AND WILL NOT SUPPORT ABORTIONIST, GAY RIGHTS PUSHING BIG GOVERNMENT STATISTS|website=www.freerepublic.com|access-date=2017-10-20}}</ref>
==Influencing online polls==
Media web sites, including newspapers, television networks, and [[America Online]], run occasional "polls" that do not use the [[Sampling (statistics)|sampling]] methods of formal [[opinion poll]]s, but instead invite all Internet users to respond. Some Free Republic forum messages, usually captioned "Freep this poll!", urge Free Republic members to vote ''en masse'' in these polls, to deliberately skew results and render the polls useless. Members are also urged to "'Freep' C-Span's 'Washington Journal' with telephone calls pointing out media bias."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fairpress.org/handbook.htm|title=fairpress.org}}</ref>
"Whenever a poll is posted on Free Republic.com, everybody goes and votes the right way, and there's nothing wrong with that," says Marinelle Thompson, Freeper and founder of [[Gun politics in the United States|gun rights]] group Second Amendment Sisters. "We just do it for a laugh. It doesn't really mean anything." The polls can also be manipulated, said Vlae Kershner, SF Gate News Director (and poll writer): "People are finding a way of getting around our system that only allows one vote, and they're voting hundreds of times. It's not thousands of people voting one way; it's one or two people voting hundreds of times."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2003/01/30/frpng.DTL|title=FReep This / How the right-wing is making itself heard|work=SFGate|date=30 January 2003}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
* [http://www.freerepublic.com/home.htm Official website]
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