Reporters used to report the news. Reporters used to stand up for free speech. All that is gone in the Progressive Era of news as the likes of CNN’s Oliver Darcy use their reporting to censor the news and free speech by campaigning to get their competitors and ideological opponents deplatformed or driven off the air by advertiser boycotts.

Now comes the Washington Post’s tech policy reporter Tony Romm who attempted to get the wildly popular border wall fundraiser taken down by GoFundMe.

Post reporter Tony Romm, MSNBC promo photo.

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Photo of Brian Kolfage and family alongside image from wall GoFundMe page.

The fundraiser by triple-amputee Iraq war veteran Brian Kolfage has raised an astonishing $6.5 million (and climbing) in just a few days since it was started December 16. (Link to GoFundMe page.)

Romm tweeted Thursday about his attempt, writing, “So there’s an effort on GoFundMe to raise cash money for a border wall. Has more than $5M in donations (seeking $1B) and claims to have contacts in the Trump admin (have asked for more). But it got me thinking: is that, like, allowed on the site? (1/3)”

“GoFundMe terms prohibit attempts to raise cash money rooted in “intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender or gender identity, or serious disabilities or diseases,” among other limits (2/3)”

“So I asked GoFundMe if this wall fundraiser violates that. Spox: “This campaign does not violate our terms of service. The funds are safely held by our payment processor and we will work with the organizer to transfer funds” or return them if target isn’t met (3/3)”

So there's an effort on GoFundMe to raise cash money for a border wall. Has more than $5M in donations (seeking $1B) and claims to have contacts in the Trump admin (have asked for more). But it got me thinking: is that, like, allowed on the site? (1/3) — Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) December 20, 2018

GoFundMe terms prohibit attempts to raise cash money rooted in "intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender or gender identity, or serious disabilities or diseases," among other limits (2/3) — Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) December 20, 2018

So I asked GoFundMe if this wall fundraiser violates that. Spox: "This campaign does not violate our terms of service. The funds are safely held by our payment processor and we will work with the organizer to transfer funds" or return them if target isn't met (3/3) — Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) December 20, 2018

Romm then asked if it were even legal for the wall fundraisers to talk to the Trump administration, “this was my next question — how does that work, and what about the contention in the pitch itself that there are convos with Trump admin officials? are they allowed to have those convos?”

this was my next question — how does that work, and what about the contention in the pitch itself that there are convos with Trump admin officials? are they allowed to have those convos? https://t.co/juIi29Dbtq — Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) December 20, 2018

It was announced Thursday by MSNBC that Romm was hired as a contributor.

Note: This writer commented to Romm on Twitter, “Always interesting to see reporters acting like the Red Guard of the Cultural Revolution.”

Always interesting to see reporters acting like the Red Guard of the Cultural Revolution. pic.twitter.com/9ZnKIw1zsO — Kristinn Taylor (@KristinnFR) December 20, 2018

UPDATE: Romm posted a comment after his attempt to shut down the border wall GoFundMe went viral, “the state of our discourse is such that this thread — which merely explores the funding campaign in the context of the site’s ToS — is a political lightning rod. somehow the most boring legalese has turned into a rallying cry for a certain set of users to go on the attack”.