CNN's John Sutter says the tech industry is trying to balance good and bad news. He asks: What are the consequences of the good things that are happening? And what are the consequences for the badThings like fake news, he writes, can make people more likely to support authoritarian leaders. "I think we're experimenting with people's lives in a way that we can't stop the snowball"
How can tech companies help flatten the curve? First and foremost, they must address the lethal misinformation and disinformation circulating on their platforms. The problem goes much deeper than fake news, according to Claire Wardle, co-founder and executive director of First Draft. She studies the gray zones of information warfare, where bad actors mix facts with falsehoods, news with gossip, and sincerity with satire. “Most of this stuff isn't fake and most of this stuff isn't news,” Claire argues. If these subtler forms of misinformation go unaddressed, tech companies may not only fail to flatten the curve — they could raise it higher.