Michael Krieger is upset at the Washington Post’s infamous fake news story, which is understandable not just because his site was on the list, but because of the ominious implication that that list might serve as a guide for government’s efforts to suppress dissenting voices. From Krieger at libertyblitzkrieg.com:
The European Commission looked into whether the tech giants were meeting a pledge to remove hate speech within 24 hours of it being reported.
Only 40% of reports of hate speech are being removed within a day, it found.
The pledge was made in May when the firms signed up to a “code of conduct” brokered by the Commission.
“The last weeks and months have shown that social media companies need to live up to their important role and take up their share of responsibility when it comes to phenomena like online radicalisation, illegal hate speech or fake news,” said Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova in a statement.
– From today’s BBC article: EU Criticizes Tech Firms for Slow Action on Hate Speech
On November 25, 2016, for the first time in my life, I became a part of the news as opposed to reporting on it. Of course, what I am referring to is the slanderous and amateurishly researched article published in The Washington Post claiming Russia used “fake news” websites to promote government propaganda during the U.S. Presidential election. The article was appropriately savaged by several of America’s leading political thinkers and writers, including Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept and Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone.
To his credit, Glenn has been particularly relentless in his criticism, focusing on the mind-boggling fact that the paper refuses to publicly address any of the myriad concerns raised regarding this defamatory hit-piece. Here are just a few examples:
Not only have they not looked into it, but @PostBaron & Post itself categorically refuse to answer any questions or address any critiques https://t.co/SYWHAK8uVC
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 2, 2016
It’s been more than two weeks: @PostBaron & the rest of the Post have uttered not one word about any of this. #Transparency #Accountability https://t.co/2RgedYr3k3
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 5, 2016
To continue reading: Additional Thoughts on “Fake News,” The Washington Post, and the Absence of Real Journalism
