The Stanford Internet Observatory is being dismantled | House Republicans attacked the lab’s reports on misinformation and election integrity — and now Stanford is pulling the plug
The Stanford Internet Observatory is being dismantled | House Republicans attacked the lab’s reports on misinformation and election integrity — and now Stanford is pulling the plug
House Republicans attacked the lab’s reports on misinformation and election integrity — and now Stanford is pulling the plug
House Republicans seem to be attacking anything that disrupts their propaganda:
House Republicans launch investigation into news rating group NewsGuard
That these institutions, especially Columbia who is renowned for their journalism program, caved to pressure is as sad as it is pathetic.
I think you underestimate the damage Congress can cause if they want to. I want them to stand up as well but getting mad at academic institutions for not fighting the federal government is forgetting who the perpetrator is and putting the onus on the wrong party.
I find that excuse defeatist. If a wealthy, affluent, historical institution doesn't stand up and prevent another institution from abusing power who can? It's not like the media who were slowly neutered by their owners. They can and should do better.
Maybe a government grant via an EO can help with the legal costs?
I think you underestimate the damage Congress can cause if they want to.
But they really can't though. The GOP can pass whatever they want in the house. It would be DOA in the senate and would never make it past Biden's desk.
And yes, there's the what-if if Trump wins the election, but they'd still have to gain control of the WH and both chambers of Congress for that to happen. And if the GOP sweeps in November, we have much bigger problems to worry about.
There's really no reason why these colleges should be folding to pressure from the GOP.
I disagree.
You can't have any kind of moral high ground in a situation where not fighting will get people killed.
Refusing to rally against the disinformation increases the likelihood of it's success.
Who's going to get hurt if it succeeds?
-millions of women with pregnancy complications that will no longer be able to seek abortions to save their lives.
-millions of minorities at the hands of the state whenever Trump eventually institutes concentration camps.
-millions of LGBTQ+ people well also end up in those concentration camps.
-millions of people dependent on things like Medicare and Medicaid will lose health insurance and die from complications.
-millions of children will starve or experience malnutrition when food stamp programs like WIC are canceled.
Those things aren't immediately obvious to the layman but they should be painfully obvious to institutions made up of people who understand the psychology enough to counter disinformation.
Anyone who understands the moral implications of letting the disinformation succeed and still chooses not to fight back against it with everything they have absolutely deserves to be shamed and blamed.
Shame on Stanford for being weak in the face of opposition
Because corporate media (which to some extent includes social media) has enormous power. It’s why the companies sell for many billions of dollars. It has always been the case.
So what? Well, since the 70’s there have been attempts to regulate that power (i.e. limiting advertising to children) and almost all of them were defeated or gutted by republicans and corporatists who almost always say that media has no effect on people (usually qualified as “intelligent people”, “thinking people”, or most often “me”).
It has always been bullshit. It’s 50 years late to understand media corporations have to be tightly regulated. Not doing so thus far has given us homegrown fascism and climate destruction.
Stories like this prove it. And it’s been proven over, and over, and over again. Teach media literacy, regulate corporate media. It is an existential threat to continue not doing it.
Another private university exchanges spine for money.
Probably because they want to prevent this.
