In the last two weeks I have heard at least half a dozen full hour NPR segments about deplatforming and not one has included a single sex worker, Palestine activist, free expression or digital rights expert who could help lead a more thoughtful conversation about moderation. https://twitter.com/onthemedia/status/1350432620191084544

I think part of the problem that's driving this is the way we still divide up reporting. Producers think "this is a segment about online extremism," so they invite on experts on that (tho often it's former FBI types instead of anti-fascist researchers doing the work) but...

...just because someone is an expert in tracking the online activities of violent far right assholes doesn't mean they are an expert in crafting policies to effectively combat online extremism without causing enormous collateral damage to human rights and free expression globally

The opposite is also true. Tech experts are often not human rights experts. And who gets considered an "expert" is in itself problematic, and often based in patriarchial and white supremacist "credentials" rather than lived experience. ie sex workers are EXPERTS on deplatforming.

I think journos who cover disinformation and online extremism tend to feel strongly that it's their job to identify the problem, not necessarily to identify the exact correct solution. and that makes sense. but without added context, many ppl rush toward dangerous solutions

It's also a little strange to me that NPR producers consistently book journalists who cover this area as guests rather than activists who have been on the ground doing the work since long before "Big Tech" and "disinformation" and "content moderation" were mainstream topics

That's not to say journos who are covering this don't have a really important perspective to bring. So many are doing amazing work and absolutely deserve to be on the radio. It just doesn't seem like that should be the default go-to for producers looking for guests?

Perfect example of this thread happening @onthemedia right now. Someone just talked about the history of social shunning as if it was always just a good thing and people didn't get executed and excommunicated for being gay or saying the earth was round or hand washing is good