I didn't want to drag the Donbass thread off topic, but this needs to be said, so I'm posting it here.
The Western response to Russian fake news has been counterproductive. Fake news and trolling are being applied overly generously even to legitimate dissenting views. Things like the Defencetalk "trolling" label on posts are part of this regrettable trend.
As such, Western media have made it difficult to express genuine criticism of Western countries and their policies. It also had a chilling effect on free speech. Meanwhile, there's been no effect absolutely on the creation and spread of Russian fake news at the source.
Now, I don't know what the solution is. But I am starting to think this response will be more damaging to the West in the long run than Russian fake news. It seems like the first casualty has been nuanced discussion which is necessary to get closer to the truth.
This is not to suggest I naively believe Russian fake news will stop if we just have a free for all discussion. But as I mentioned above, Russia et al will produce fake news no matter what we do or don't do in the West. But the current paradigm has always been a deeply suboptimal solution. We can and must do better.
To pre-empt any allegations/accusations against me, please note the following:
I am a citizen of a Western country and I've been here all my life.
I am a big fan of classical Western values and I see these countries as the best societies ever created in history.
Politically, I am a classical liberal with a mix of moderate left and right views.
The Western response to Russian fake news has been counterproductive. Fake news and trolling are being applied overly generously even to legitimate dissenting views. Things like the Defencetalk "trolling" label on posts are part of this regrettable trend.
As such, Western media have made it difficult to express genuine criticism of Western countries and their policies. It also had a chilling effect on free speech. Meanwhile, there's been no effect absolutely on the creation and spread of Russian fake news at the source.
Now, I don't know what the solution is. But I am starting to think this response will be more damaging to the West in the long run than Russian fake news. It seems like the first casualty has been nuanced discussion which is necessary to get closer to the truth.
This is not to suggest I naively believe Russian fake news will stop if we just have a free for all discussion. But as I mentioned above, Russia et al will produce fake news no matter what we do or don't do in the West. But the current paradigm has always been a deeply suboptimal solution. We can and must do better.
To pre-empt any allegations/accusations against me, please note the following:
I am a citizen of a Western country and I've been here all my life.
I am a big fan of classical Western values and I see these countries as the best societies ever created in history.
Politically, I am a classical liberal with a mix of moderate left and right views.