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How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

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Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#61
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why are these random people not participating in actual research?or writers for real publications? The author of the article wrote for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and Wired. Are those not real publications?

I mean the people on Twitter the article is writing about > KelleyKga, a self-proclaimed public health fact checker > Andrew Bostom, a Rhode Island physician, This article is just trying to get people outraged by making it an us vs them trying to make this look like it wasn't a fringe view at the time. > American left, the political affiliation of nearly the entire staff at Twitter. Political outrage porn pretending…

[deleted]

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#62
This is what we get when we expect corporations to police speech, and when governments pressure them to do it.

We really would be better off with no censorship. Even allowing obvious conspiracy theories and fake news is better than trying to police the truth and getting it wrong. When moderators get it wrong even one time they lose trust forever and give the conspiracy theorists even more ammo — in some cases by making the conspiracy theories about censorship become true!

Besides, even if you wanted corporations to police speech and decide what is true, would Twitter and Facebook really be the ones you would want to do it?

It’s been very sad to see Westerners, especially Americans, and especially American liberals be so fearful and weak that they discarded the single most important principle of freedom, liberty, and human rights: freedom of speech.

That sacrifice got us nothing. Misinformation still spreads and it is more attractive than ever to the conspiracy-minded precisely because they can see the attempts to suppress it! Forbidden knowledge is always more attractive. It wasn’t worth it!

The only way out of this is to stop asking corporations and governments to censor things. Just stop.

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#63
post #45
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Downvoted because it completely misses the point, which is that a private company should not be told by the government to restrict speech, even if ( especially if) that speech is in conflict with the "official policy" the government has decreed. > Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the ri…

Free speach isn't absolute. There's plenty of examples in life already where you can't say whatever you want.

Is it too much to ask that we don't add to that set?

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#64
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, I’m lead to believe Trump forced us to lock down. It’s good that now under the current president we no longer have lockdowns or restrictions.

Biden’s administration was ready to put people out of work if they didn’t get the shots. Red team vs blue team rhetoric is nauseating.

Indeed, I’m sure this would mean the current unemployment rate is far higher than it was in January 2021 no?

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#65

Conspiracy theory is just the news in 6 months. Hell at this rate I’d hear somebody out if they said the moon is made of cheese. What a time to be alive.

> Hell at this rate I’d hear somebody out if they said the moon is made of cheese. Right. That's the problem.

because it’s dangerous to listen to other peoples opinions?

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#66
post #41

What is the realistic legal recourse for those who were censored from pressure by the US government? Sue the relevant agencies or executive branch? Will anyone even go to prison or lose their job?

> Will anyone even go to prison or lose their job? Why would they? This is another nothingburger, Musk is just seeking attention for the sake of attention. If that means echoing antivax bullshit, or trying to make sure Hunter Biden's penis is available for all to see on the internet, that's what he will do.

Ro Khanna, the Congressman representing S.V. has thoughts on using "nothingburger":

> Here’s why I think the “nothingburger” argument is compounding the problem.

https://www.thefp.com/p/ro-khanna-on-twitter-free-speech

It's worth a read to at least consider his thoughts.

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am a conspiracy theorist[1], and this was all well known since before we even did '2 weeks to slow the spread'. I'm just glad some of the mainstream folks are figuring it out now. [1]: The term "conspiracy theory" is itself the subject of a conspiracy theory, which claims the term was popularized by the CIA in order to discredit conspiratorial believers, particularly critics of the Warren Commission, by making them…

Indeed, I’m lead to believe Trump forced us to lock down. It’s good that now under the current president we no longer have lockdowns or restrictions.

[deleted]

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#68
post #50
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean the people on Twitter the article is writing about > KelleyKga, a self-proclaimed public health fact checker > Andrew Bostom, a Rhode Island physician, This article is just trying to get people outraged by making it an us vs them trying to make this look like it wasn't a fringe view at the time. > American left, the political affiliation of nearly the entire staff at Twitter. Political outrage porn pretending…

How do you state it's a fringe view when the viewpoint was actively being suppressed by everyone? You've chosen a few examples where the posters didn't have strong credentials - how about the Harvard professor?

You think the only reason it is a fringe view in the first place is because it was suppressed? The only thing holding back anti mrna research was tweets and pop Sci quality articles in news?

The core issue isn't an political us vs them issue like this and other articles suggest.

I didn't address the hardvard guy because idk how many other Harvard researchers or w/e the tittle is. Likely the guy is not holding a popular view. How many other people work at hardvard and Stanford and other top universities?

Re: How Twitter moderated the Covid debate

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Did you even read the thread or listen to the discussions surrounding it. The point of the evidence supplied in the thread is that leading virologists and epidemiologists were actively suppressed by non-experts.

[flagged]
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