The 206th Block: Press freedom, fake news, and les réseaux sociaux

Also, would you take a journalism course from The Epoch Times?

Apr 14, 2024

This week…

Your reading time is about 6 minutes. Let’s start.

In some parts of the U.S. and Canada, people’s eyes hurt on April 8, and they asked Google about it. It is more interesting to see the search trend by sub-region, as it follows the eclipse path in the U.S. and Canada, except for the lighter blue shade for Quebec—mainly because the Francophones would probably ask Google about les yeux in French.

For reference, here’s the eclipse path across North America illustrated by CBC with information provided by NASA.

Also, see the chart of the week below for a mapped representation of Airbnb and Vrbo listings booked for the eclipse.

And now, a selection of top stories on my radar, a few personal recommendations, and the chart of the week.

ICYMI: The Previous Block highlighted all the silly things China, Israel, and Germany, among others, are doing. CORRECTION NOTICE: None notified.

PRESS FREEDOM

Under attack from so many quarters, press freedom in Brazil is now threatened by some judges too

Murillo Camarotto for Reuters Institute:

Schirlei Alves gave up local journalism after being sentenced to one year in prison by a judge in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. It happened in September 2023. Alves had published a news story about a businessman accused of rape and then cleared from it. Another judge filed civil and criminal lawsuits against her, and she decided that she could no longer do her job in her hometown.
In January 2024, it emerged that the same judge who sued Alves is also suing news organisations, artists and politicians for their use of a simple hashtag. Two months before, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that news organisations can be held legally responsible for any interviews in which sources attribute crimes to third parties.
These cases have created an increasingly difficult environment for Brazilian news organisations. Both journalists and media companies see these court rulings as a growing threat to press freedom in a country where journalism has often been under attack.

Loosely linked:

Brazil Supreme Court judge opens inquiry into Musk by Mariko Oi for BBC.
Hong Kong denies entry to Reporters Without Borders staffer in latest blow to media freedoms by Zen Soo for AP.
Mali’s junta bans the media from reporting on political activities in a deepening crackdown by Baba Ahmed and Jessica Donati for AP.
Israel sees a different reality than the rest of the world every night on TV by Aymann Ismail for Slate.

FAKE NEWS

The conspiracy-loving Epoch Times is thinking about opening…a journalism school?

Joshua Benton for Nieman Lab:

That’s right: The Epoch Times — the Trump-loving, communist-hating, conspiracy-devoted newspaper connected to the Chinese Falun Gong movement — is thinking about starting a journalism school.
“The Epoch Times is considering supporting the establishment of a new School of Journalism that would champion the same values of ‘truth and traditional’ as The Epoch Times,” read an email the paper sent out to newsletter subscribers this morning. “The college’s mission would be to nurture in the next generation of media professionals the highest standards of personal integrity, fairness, and truth-seeking.”
The email links to an online survey meant to gauge interest in the potential school. It asks about potential four-year (a BA in journalism, with print/web and broadcast tracks; a BS in journalism for TV/video production; a BS in digital media marketing) and two-year (associate’s degrees in journalism, TV/video production, and digital media marketing) programs, as well as non-degree certificate programs.

Loosely linked:

Raids, fines and digging through underwear drawers: Korean president’s war on ‘fake news’ by Max Kim for LA Times.
Philippines steps up defences against Chinese hackers after ‘cyberwar’ warning from telecoms security chief ($) by Jeoffrey Maitem for SCMP.
“Fake news” legislation risks doing more harm than good amid a record number of elections in 2024 by Samuel Jens for Nieman Lab.
Embracing digital spaces: How older immigrants are navigating the infodemic by Natalia Balyasnikova (York University) and Claire Ahn (Queen's University) for The Conversation.

FRENCH MEDIA

Social media is a threat to the French language, says France’s PM

Victor Goury-Laffont for Politico:

Francophone countries must coalesce to pressure social media platforms, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Thursday, lamenting the dominance of anglophone content on social network feeds.
“Technology, which has brought very easy and direct access to a lot of creative content ... also puts the French-speaking world at risk,” Attal said in a TV interview during a visit to Québec City, Canada.
“If the content that young people in particular are accessing is essentially English-speaking, or if the algorithms that suggest content on a given platform tend to suggest English-speaking content, in the long term I think that's a threat to the place of the French language,” he said.

Watch the interview in the link below. Loosely linked:

Entrevue avec le premier ministre français, Gabriel Attal by Sébastien Bovet for Radio-Canada.
You are on the right track with language and secularism policies, French PM tells Quebec by Philip Authier for Montreal Gazette.
For his Canadian citizenship, Quebec resident had to pass a Parisian French test. He wonders why by Rachel Watts for CBC.

What I read, listen, and watch…

I’m reading Weapons of Math Destruction (2016) by Cathy O’Neil. If you understand how big data and algorithms affect society, this isn’t anything new. But if not, it’s a must-read. The book explores their society impact on education (such as school rankings and teacher evaluation), finance (insurance, credit score, and loan approval), and of course, policing, among many things.
I’m listening to Tech Won’t Save Us because, of course, Paris Marx managed to sit down with Edward Ongweso Jr. (who wrote the critical piece on Kara Swisher’s attempt to rebrand herself, shared on #205 last week) to elaborate on the Kara con. (In other words, if anyone quotes Swisher as a tech critic—run.)
I’m watching CNA Insider’s segment about the Philippines’ misinformation epidemic.