New Yorker’s Steve Coll Suggests Journalists Should Reconsider Value of Free Speech

HUNT And in the ░░░░░░░░ Joe to your point ░░░░░░░░ s been easier to ░░░░░░░░ and see that something ░░░░░░░░ misinformation It was either ░░░░░░░░ to get your hands ░░░░░░░░ it in the first ░░░░░░░░ or those AOL emails ░░░░░░░░ ridiculous riddled with typos ░░░░░░░░ kinds of fonts things ░░░░░░░░ that It s tough ░░░░░░░░ Facebook it s hard ░░░░░░░░ tell the difference between ░░░░░░░░ that comes from a ░░░░░░░░ paper and something that ░░░░░░░░ full of disinformation even ░░░░░░░░ you re trying your ░░░░░░░░ to be the sophisticated ░░░░░░░░ and figure out what ░░░░░░░░ true or what s ░░░░░░░░ because it s so ░░░░░░░░ to make it look ░░░░░░░░ And Steve I guess ░░░░░░░░ s my question for ░░░░░░░░ You write a little ░░░░░░░░ about you know you ░░░░░░░░ the point that we ░░░░░░░░ three big networks we ░░░░░░░░ a handful of prominent ░░░░░░░░ weeklies papers that covered ░░░░░░░░ country and a lot ░░░░░░░░ local journalism So the ░░░░░░░░ quote unquote as people ░░░░░░░░ to think of it ░░░░░░░░ in fact a relatively ░░░░░░░░ narrow group that if ░░░░░░░░ made decisions together could ░░░░░░░░ impact things Now with ░░░░░░░░ fragmented landscape of these ░░░░░░░░ companies their decision making ░░░░░░░░ obviously part of this ░░░░░░░░ we know they can ░░░░░░░░ shut everything down by ░░░░░░░░ because other websites pop ░░░░░░░░ But there s still ░░░░░░░░ truth to the fact ░░░░░░░░ they are mass platforms ░░░░░░░░ is on Facebook or ░░░░░░░░ least many adults are ░░░░░░░░ Facebook so they have ░░░░░░░░ bigger responsibility than some ░░░░░░░░ these other you know ░░░░░░░░ 4chan 8chan What do ░░░░░░░░ companies need to do ░░░░░░░░ your view to actually ░░░░░░░░ solve some of this ░░░░░░░░ Yeah No it s ░░░░░░░░ great question And just ░░░░░░░░ you know pick up ░░░░░░░░ point The homogeneity of ░░░░░░░░ media in the 60s ░░░░░░░░ 70s obviously wasn t ░░░░░░░░ a good thing It ░░░░░░░░ ripe for disruption and ░░░░░░░░ has been disrupted and ░░░░░░░░ is one of the ░░░░░░░░ disrupters I read a ░░░░░░░░ good book this year ░░░░░░░░ Facebook The Inside Story ░░░░░░░░ was a very well ░░░░░░░░ inside account of Facebook ░░░░░░░░ for the answer to ░░░░░░░░ question you ve asked ░░░░░░░░ I came away with ░░░░░░░░ conclusion that the problems ░░░░░░░░ we face I mean ░░░░░░░░ know this is a ░░░░░░░░ corporation that is motivated ░░░░░░░░ all companies are to ░░░░░░░░ money that is acting ░░░░░░░░ a kind of public ░░░░░░░░ And to expect that ░░░░░░░░ is going to adjust ░░░░░░░░ motivations to preserve democracy ░░░░░░░░ to do the right ░░░░░░░░ all of the time ░░░░░░░░ s just naive It ░░░░░░░░ not what it s ░░░░░░░░ to do And the ░░░░░░░░ of Facebook that s ░░░░░░░░ in this narrative is ░░░░░░░░ of continually breaking things ░░░░░░░░ then trying to fix ░░░░░░░░ partially and getting better ░░░░░░░░ better at apologizing But ░░░░░░░░ came away from it ░░░░░░░░ you know it s ░░░░░░░░ structure It is not ░░░░░░░░ that can be changed ░░░░░░░░ by changing the structure ░░░░░░░░ it And yes Facebook ░░░░░░░░ moved somewhat they had ░░░░░░░░ better election in 2020 ░░░░░░░░ they did in 2016 ░░░░░░░░ ve learned to put ░░░░░░░░ brakes on it here ░░░░░░░░ there but you can ░░░░░░░░ get away from the ░░░░░░░░ that their mission is ░░░░░░░░ connect everybody in the ░░░░░░░░ That s what motivates ░░░░░░░░ Zuckerberg and it has ░░░░░░░░ s his passion And ░░░░░░░░ profoundly believes in free ░░░░░░░░ Those of us in ░░░░░░░░ have to come to ░░░░░░░░ with the fact that ░░░░░░░░ speech a principle that ░░░░░░░░ hold sacred is being ░░░░░░░░ against the principles of ░░░░░░░░ and what do we ░░░░░░░░ about that I just ░░░░░░░░ as reporters we kind ░░░░░░░░ March into this war ░░░░░░░░ our facts nobly shouldered ░░░░░░░░ if they were going ░░░░░░░░ win the day and ░░░░░░░░ we re seeing is ░░░░░░░░ because of the scale ░░░░░░░░ this alternate reality that ░░░░░░░░ have been talking about ░░░░░░░░ facts our principles our ░░░░░░░░ method it isn t ░░░░░░░░ So what do we ░░░░░░░░ BRZEZINSKI All right Steve ░░░░░░░░ thank you so much ░░░░░░░░ ll be reading the ░░░░░░░░ piece for The New ░░░░░░░░