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sangfreud's avatar

Zeynep -- One obvious thing that can be done, not mentioned in your article: when popular media figures mislead millions in their audience, it should be reported as front-page news in papers like the NY Times, Washington Post, etc. I don't mean marginal "fact check" articles that no one reads, I mean big headlines. The failure of mainstream media publications to address failures and breakdowns in their own realm -- which admittedly would require them to hold to standards people who probably travel in their own circles, eat at the same restaurants, go to the same parties -- is a big part of the problem.

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a fellow person's avatar

I liked the piece and agree it's an important topic. I worry the NYT article didn't emphasize the downsides of censorship by state or monopoly actors enough, however. I keep hearing a strong desire for censorship in popular culture, and I think it's important to spend more time explaining why we need to find gentler alternatives that allow points of view to coexist (without letting things get completely skewed by an algorithm, so the nastiest content always comes up top or makes the most money). I'd love to see you write more about this, Zeynep! It definitely feels like a systems problem.

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