Image credit: Tech in Asia
There are many examples of fake news. There are many examples of where news has spread via media virtually unchecked and unchallenged with little to no known reliable source. However, prior to the unfolding of the current crisis of COVID19, there was a good amount of censoring that went on by the Wuhan Police force. Doctor Li Wenliang had attempted to warn his friends and relatives about the virus in the early stages of the outbreak (Stanglin, 2020).
With today’s social media platforms and namely China’s Weibo App, he was accused by the Wuhan police of rumor-mongering and given the warning to stop. As many people may or may not know, China is a country where platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are banned for their own various reasons. Had some of these not been banned, news of the virus could have spread much more quickly and allowed numerous countries that are now struggling to get ahead of this virus before it spiraled into a globe-stopping pandemic.
This type of censorship is only really able to be done in places like China since they don’t technically have a government as it’s more of an extension of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) (Lawrence & Martin, 2013). Freedom of speech and freedom of press should be things that we don’t take for granted; albeit they can be abused and used as tools to sew mistrust and cause disruption intentionally. We could, however, ask ourselves if there was more censorship done on our current platforms, would there be as much misinformation? Would there be as much division and hate? Facebook has recently blocked many alt-right groups and Twitter and Instagram have censored certain hate-speech from being published for these very reasons which have caused a lot of public outcry from various groups and individuals. At some point there has to be a line drawn but how far is too far? How far is not enough? Who decides what news, information, and content can spread on what platforms? Other than the FCC, how censored are other forms of media like news networks and television stations?
Ultimately there are pros and cons to the censorship of media. But how it’s implemented and by who is a matter that should be collectively sought out by the majority. Whether it be to warn, inform, or misinform, media – like many of the technologies we possess – is a double-edged sword. As humans utilizing these measures, a little bit of self-policing can go a long way in finding a proper balance.
References
Stanglin, D., 2020. Coronavirus: Whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang Dies Of The Illness. [online] usatoday. Available at: <https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/02/06/doctor-coronavirus-death-epidemic-wuhan-china-spread/4678344002/> [Accessed 18 March 2020].
Lawrence, S. V., & Martin, M. F. (2013, March 20).
Harrison, S. (2019, July 11). Twitter and Instagram Unveil New Ways to Combat Hate-Again. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-instagram-unveil-new-ways-combat-hate-again/
Social media platforms need to do more to censor hate speech. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2019-09-27/editorials/social-media-platforms-need-to-do-more-to-censor-hate-speech/
Thank you for sharing this post. Various thoughts were provoked while reading and re-reading it – primarily around surveillance vs. outright banning of technology/microblogging platforms (ie Twitter/Facebook) in China. As you alluded to, there are various reasons why these services are banned in China but there are a handful of ways to still access them. Deng Xiaoping announced the newer “open door” policy for China in December of 1978 (Open Door Policy) there is still a good bit of mystery as to what day to day life is like in the country. You mentioned that Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms have banned various groups – however, it is too little too late. What role do these technology companies play with the First Amendment? When thinking of self-policing and policing our peers on these platforms, I am reminded of the Latin phrase “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” or “Who will guard the guards themselves?”. Needless to say, I don’t believe that self-policing can be the end all be all solution. Perhaps there is a combination of self-policing with various algorithms that can flag/limit the amount of misinformation spread across these various platforms. People need to be aware of what they’re consuming from the media and do their own research to inform their decisions and beliefs.
References –
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (2020, January 13). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes?
Open Door Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Open_Door_Policy