As you confirm, the facts are straight: "The editor who published the opinion piece would have lost their job, heads would have rolled, etc" The public pressur

As you confirm, the facts are straight: "The editor who published the opinion piece would have lost their job, heads would have rolled, etc" The public pressure to adopt a particular line was comparable. The consequences for a company or personality not adopting a similar line were, and often still are "tied 100% to the approval or disapproval" which sees someone step down after a foolish quote. Hundreds were imprisoned during the McCarthy era, so that's not an unreachable stretch either. It's not unthinkable. To your edit: The equivalence is the equal pressure to conform (to the views of China / the prevailing views of the US), with similar consequences. The main difference is that a US corporation is conforming to an international view - because of that market, along with the speed that pressure can build via the internet.