One-day October conference refused ad space on Front Porch Forum, a public platform that claims to “help neighbors connect”
Front Porch Forum (FPF) is refusing to post information about the Restoring our Faith Summit, an event dedicated to engaging with Vermont communities (VIHF) to revitalize the role of religion in daily life, said the event organizer, the Vermont Institute for Human Flourishing.
The neighborhood news and events app, which receives some public funding to run its website, claims to be a place for “building community.” But its actions suggest otherwise, the VIHF said in a recent statement.
FPF is a Vermont public benefit corporation. These corporations are shareholder-owned and are expected to make a profit, but also have a public good mission, similar to non-profit organizations.
A request to purchase a paid ad for Restoring Our Faith Summit taking place Tuesday, October 10 in South Burlington, was denied by Front Porch Forum on the basis of non-compliance with “the Terms of Use.” All attempts to elicit clarification were met with silence.
“It’s appalling to suggest that notice of a conference on faith is not welcome on a public platform in Vermont,’ said Deb Billado, President of Vermont Institute for Human Flourishing, the sponsoring organization for the Restoring Our Faith Summit. “Freedom of speech is a foundational principle of our country and without explanation our group is shut down and shut out of reaching our fellow Vermonters with an important message.”
With renowned national speakers, authors, social scientists, and faith leaders who will debate and discuss how to restore the country’s lost faith in God, in trusted institutions, and in the founding principles of our country, the Restoring Our Faith summit is hoping to encourage and inspire fellow Vermonters as it did at its 2022 event.
According to SevenDaysVT, Front Page Forum has received public funding including a $361,500 grant from the Vermont Council on Rural Development, “composed of federal disaster relief funds, to set up forums in every community in Vermont” with taxpayer dollars. VCRD is a federally-funded non-profit organization.
Other organizations and individuals have complained about Front Porch Forum’s censorship, causing some to organize a Facebook group that has more than 400 members.
“Restoring Our Faith Vermont envisions a flourishing society rebuilt by a renewed faith, strong families and a search for truth in science and government, where, once more, love, respect and tolerance prevail,” said Mrs. Billado. “How can this be a violation of the FPF’s standard?”
The mission statement of the Vermont Institute for Human Flourishing (VIHF) says the organizatin “envisions a state invigorated by the principles and civil institutions that protect the American’s inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
For more information, please visit www.restoringourfaithvermont.com. To schedule an interview with one of the speakers, please contact Laura Cirone at 703-232-5445.
Some of the above content was sourced from a VHIF statement.
Categories: Media
Gee, our local FPF advertised a church that is going to host a blood drive. That one must have slipped through the cracks. FPF is pure moonbat, and if they are going to engage in ideological censorship, they should not get a nickle of public funding. Do we have to wait for Elon to buy it before they will become objective?
I’d be careful about invoking Elon Musk. I was on the fence about him for a long time, but I now believe he’s just another Gates/Zuckerberg/Dorsey/Bezos, all of whom turned out to be funded by the DS and tools of the DS. From making Teslas to his private space program, Musk has actually by and large been a failure. It’s all junk. These seem to me to be public face (cover) for what he really does well, satellite communications networks, and who really funds and benefits from that, who I logically figure is the Defense Dept in some way, shape, or form. After all and despite all his failures, he does seem to have an endless supply of money, doesn’t he?
Musk will turn out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, just wait. If I’m right, you heard it here first. If not, I’ll gladly apologize and admit that I was wrong. But as Charles Barkley famously said, “I may be wrong, but I doubt it”.
FPF, claims to be a place for “building community.” the absent fine print reads, If your idea of “community” aligns with our’s . I subscribe to it, and read it, but as often as not, the opinions expressed therein make me want to hurl .
Yep, FPF is just another Progressive/Socialist institution saying the represent the public uniting neighbors and community when in fact they only allow certain voices but not all voices. Lies, lies, and more lies. That is not what real Vermonters want. That is not the real Vermont. I found out last year what FPF was really all about, yet another outlet for and by the socialist infiltrators to our beloved Vermont communities.
Living in Burlington, Front Porch Forum “deactivated” my account – giving no notice or explanation – just after I ran for the Vermont House of Representatives, on a platform clearly contrary to the socialist, Democrat/progressive ideology.
FPF took down a post I made in 2008 because I identified MYSELF as a heterosexual in my advert seeking roommates. I didn’t even specify who I was seeking-
However if you are gay, it’s apparently perfectly ok to bluntly discriminate against straight people in your roommate ads on FPF. You can probably go on there right now and find tons of discriminatory ads posted by LGTBQs
FPF is a front for Communism, pure & simple. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve been thrown off FPF not once, but twice – as I relocated within VT & they apparently didn’t have a system in place at the time for effectively preventing free speech advocates & Constitutionalists from gaining access to their “friendly” neighbor-oriented site again.
The funniest part about these connivers with regard to my last boot-off was that I was actually engaged in writing about the imperativeness of free speech in purportedly free societies. The first time I was given the hook, I was openly criticizing a Select Board member in my community (who was under police investigation for brazen theft of public property) and I had to be silenced!
They are undeniably pro-government & anti-freedom. Just another group of losers who utilize a facade in order to spread propaganda and further silence public interchange.
They need to be sued too.
I submitted an opinion recently voicing my concerns regarding drag queen advertisements …it was never published, yet I have seen vitriolic rants and raves opposing Pro-Life, Trump, police, law and order issues to name a few.. I refuse to donate to their annual funding campaign after seeing their published pieces promoting CRT, homosexuality, polygenderism, Green schemes, and wanton radical liberalism…theirs is a propaganda tool that promotes socialism and its whacko government players Sanders, Welch, Balint, and the snake pit of Left leaners throughout Vermont…
Some woman was complaining about a post that “got through” the censors yesterday on a drag queen reading to kids…. and right below her insane rant, FPF apologized for that getting through… I wanted to vomit.
How is this any different from refusing to make a website or bake a cake for gay people? Didn’t the republican – majority Supreme Court just make it legal for any business refuse service to anyone they disagree with?
The problem is, Brian and Jason, that Vermont liberals only enforce their rules one way. They won’t publish information about this conference, and at the same time Vermont is trying to censor the type of speech that goes on at Pro-life pregnancy centers here in Vermont. Liberal points of view are hardly ever censored in this state. Only conservatives or Christians or pro-lifers or traditional Jews. And no, Brian, you do not understand the Court decision. The issue was artistic freedom, not freedom of serving anyone neutral ordinary merchandise at a business. Whenever these types of cases are broadcast by the media, they do not differentiate between refusing to sell your ordinary baked goods to anyone who walks into your shop to make a neutral purchase. That was not the issue. The issue there was forcing the baker or web site designer to create a unique piece of art for someone whose values you disagree with. Would you force a Jewish or Muslim caterer to make and sell a pork dish? Another example, during the fight to pass Proposal 5/Amendment 22, the pro-life side was massively censored, while Planned Parenthood and the liberal left got media coverage on a 100 to 1 ratio. It was so obvious it wasn’t even close.
Your local baker receives public funding to bake cakes for his/her (there are only TWO sexes) business??
What’s the name of your baker?? I like to bake too and would like a little bit o’ that action! Are Joe & Hunter involved too?
The baker was not getting public funds.
That decision upheld religious beliefs, aligned with religious freedom and individual choice. The individual was a self employed person, not an organization. The censorship being referenced in this discussion relates to political censorship being conducted by an entity that receives tax payer funds to exist. People in the United States are allowed free speech, which includes political speech.
Who cares, it’s a private business.
A mall is a private business too, but if you get drunk and do donuts in the parking lot, you could be cited for DUI. It’s open to the public. A mall can’t deny you entry because you have an American flag on your shirt either.
I care. Most Americans (and not Amerikans) care. Your “business” purports to serve the public utilizing public funding: FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
It is a private business that is subsidized by tax payers like NPR. Tax payers are forced to contribute to these politically active, leftist organizations. This is what irritates people. If you were the one being censored for sharing reasonable information, you would be disgusted too. I don’t want to find these organizations, but I have no choice.
There is that constitution and freedom of speech so you would think the legislators would have been aware of that
No it is a nonprofit designed to bring people together in the community. I will do homework on their various grant applications to find out for sure but no they are breaking the law and discriminating.
Please explain how facebook, google and X( was twitter) was “NOT” fined or lost lots of money (stock value) for various forms of censorship. Using a NGO to censor is still not right and if found to be so a crime especially a small company like fpf. …. to the legal people on this. Be sure to subpoena their internal and external emails … remember they found out that the gubment was sending messages to various people to shut down dissent. Nice try though
This resembles the completely illegal action that FPF took against Christopher-Aaron Felker. People need to demonstrate AND bring lawsuits.
The grant mentioned happened in 2013. If you want to really stroke out, read this:
https://techjamvt.com/2013/09/burlingtons-front-porch-forum-expands-statewide/
I’m not just another Independent -voting pretty face. I got thrown off FPF years ago. Arrogant blank blankety blank he was. The original point of moderation was so that we all played nice. I guess that over time it became something else entirely.
First, let’s get the name straight…it’s Fascist Pravda Forum. I had a similar experience during the CV-19 Plandemic, my account was deleted for the same “non compliance with terms of use”. My crime? I quoted an article in Penn Gazette (not exactly a right wing conspiracy mag) stating the CV jab was indeed gene therapy, stated by scientists who had been working on the technology for as long as five decades. For this “sin” I was shut down and my account deleted, no discussion, no appeal.
They refused to post my short comment on the fact that Sweden or Norway did not require masks during COVID-19 because masks were ineffective. Sweden’s national healthcare web site had 35 global studies that were evaluated in which they drew their conclusion that masks did nothing to stop COVID-19. I only posted it because a year and a half of wearing masks was ridiculous and medically harmful to small children with developing drains. I reached out to ask them why they didn’t post my comment and they informed me that my comment was associated with conspiracy theories and not supported by the VT health department or CDC. I responded by asking them which of the credentialed scientists and medical professionals cited in the papers were conspiracy theorists? Was it the ones from the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) or the other entities that conducted research.
FPF needs to be sued. If they receive one cent of tax funds in any form they are not allowed to censor. They are all loony left all the time. No conservative thought allowed. THEY NEED TO BE SUED. Class action?
Michael Wood-Lewis, the owner of Front Porch Forum took several hundred thousand dollars of taxpayer money under the agreement the platform would be an emergency resource during natural disasters. Yet he still personally censors people who don’t think the way he wants them to, and indiscriminately terminates user accounts without notice or reason. He exemplifies the worst behavior in a civil society and is proof that left unchecked, petty tyrants evolve into dictators.
The best way to protest is to get off FPF and leave it for the left as an echo chamber.
Right. Too bad there’s not a truly inclusive alternative. There is SO MUCH censorship happening now, in both media and government.
Very true. I ditched Front Porch Forum and Facebook about two years ago.
I cancelled my account before I was cancelled for “wrong think.” The forum itself was a good idea, but it became controlled and corrupted by community activists and puppets of the Open Societies/ActBlue/WEF/UN Masters. The irony of those inclusive, coexist, diversity, equity types who act with resentment, hair trigger emotions who hastily and abruptly cancel anyone who dares to question or offer facts over their well fueled propaganda. The real separtists are the delusional sheep doing exactly what they pretend to abhor.