The Daily Wire, a right-wing news and commentary site, reportedly said that despite co-founder Ben Shapiro’s insistence that he wants to publicly debate Israel and anti-Semitism, former host Candace・A gag order was reportedly issued against Mr. Owens.
The Daily Wire wrote that Owens secretly tried to muzzle her through a private arbitrator after she left the company in March. Remarks by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald in Locals Newsletter on Thursday.
The gag order comes as Mr. Shapiro and Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Bowling are in public negotiations with Mr. Owens over an agreed upon venue and date for the debate, which has been widely anticipated by readers and social media viewers. approved within.
Mr. Boling told Mr. Greenwald that his report was “so inaccurate as to be false.”
He did not elaborate.
“I think you all understand how dangerous a high-profile breakup like this can be, which is why we are trying to resolve our issues with Candice privately,” Bowling said. He said he told Greenwald.
Owens told Greenwald that she “could neither confirm nor deny” his report.
“I wish I could comment on this, but I can’t.” She said:
The Post has reached out to the Daily Wire and Owens for comment.
Greenwald said the gag order prohibits Owens from making any comments that could be seen as disparaging or damaging the Daily Wire’s reputation.
The arbitrator agreed with the Daily Wire’s argument that Owens’ social media posts about X challenging Shapiro to a debate while questioning his views on Israel were “derogatory,” Greenwald reported. .
Before leaving the Daily Wire, Owens was one of the site’s most popular hosts.
She joined the Daily Wire in 2021 after gaining fame as a black conservative who called on African-American voters to “BLEXIT” the Democratic Party.
After the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that claimed the lives of nearly 1,200 Israelis, Owens accused the Israeli government of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza and called out Israel’s military response. publicly criticized.
Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew and fervent supporter of Israel, slammed Owens’ actions, calling them “absolutely disgraceful.”
In November, Shapiro’s fans took to social media to demand that the Daily Wire fire Owens over Shapiro’s comments, while Boling wrote on social media:[E]Even if I could, I wouldn’t fire Candice because we have another thing in common. It is a desire not to regulate the speech of hosts, even if they disagree with their opinions. Candace is paid to give her opinion, not mine or Ben’s. ”
“As long as those opinions don’t violate the law or she violates the terms of her contract in some way, her job is safe and she’s welcome at the Daily Wire,” Bowling said.
Owens later made other comments prompting accusations of anti-Semitism, including a reference to Hollywood “gangs” doing “horrible things.”
She also liked a post by X that referenced the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jews are “drunk on Christian blood.”
Greenwald said that despite Bolling’s pledge that the company would not fire Owens for his views on Israel, the Daily Wire did just that.
“The company has concluded that her increasingly vocal criticism of Israel, opposition to U.S. funding for Israel, and her views on anti-Semitism are inconsistent with Daily Wire policies,” Greenwald said Thursday. wrote.
