United States President Joe Biden demanded that social media companies do more in order to tackle what he believed to be a growing problem of misinformation surrounding Covid-19.
United States President Joe Biden Urges Social Media Companies To Tackle Misinformation Regarding Covid-19
There is no denying the fact that the rise of alternative media has posed a serious threat to mainstream media. But as part of that process, it has clearly become a double-edged sword.
While viewers have more content than ever to consider and judge for themselves, the very fact of the matter is that it is more difficult to judge whether something is misinformation or genuine news.
The particular source or angle that an article is coming from may help inform the viewer in that regard, but it is still challenging nonetheless. That is why President Biden felt that he had no choice but to speak out against this issue.
In an official statement, he said: “I make a special appeal to social media companies and media outlets: please deal with the misinformation and disinformation that is on your shows. It has to stop.”
Nevertheless, this is going to be much harder than first thought. First of all, the trust surrounding the government not just within the United States but around the world has increasingly dwindled.
The inception of the vaccination program, coupled with the fact that Covid rules continue to change on a frequent basis, has made it very difficult for people to keep up.
Secondly, in any event, if politicians are refusing to abide by the rules that they are looking to enforce, then that is hardly going to convince the public of the news they are consuming.
This is equally true of the Covid mask regulations and Covid policy in general. But for Biden, it was something that required drastic action.
He added: “COVID-19 is one of the most formidable enemies America has ever faced. We have got to work together, not against each other.”
There is ultimately a fine line between freedom of speech and deciding whether people should be censored. And given that the United States prides itself on the First Amendment, this is going to be a difficult line to tread.
If you liked reading this article, then check out our other features on the Daily Soap Dish. Please also visit The Go To Family for all of the latest exciting news on all of your favorite daytime television soaps.