Social Media and Free Speech: A Featured Controversy from Issues & Controversies

Social Media and Free Speech: A Featured Controversy from Issues & Controversies

Featured in Issues & Controversies:
SOCIAL MEDIA AND FREE SPEECH: Should Social Media Companies Do More to Combat Disinformation and Extremism on Their Platforms?

Should social media companies do more to combat disinformation and extremism on their platforms? Be sure to check out Issues & Controversies’ complete and unbiased coverage of this divisive issue. Here is a sample of the pro/con arguments on both sides of the issue.

Try Issues & Controversies today!

SUPPORTERS ARGUE
Disinformation and extremism online can subvert the democratic process and lead to real-world tragedy. Too often, social media companies have chosen profit over responsibility. It is not a violation of free speech for private companies to moderate content.

OPPONENTS ARGUE
Social media companies should prioritize freedom of expression over censorship. The best way to combat bad speech is through better speech. Pushing platforms to more aggressively vet content will lead to bias and suppression in the Internet’s most important forums.

The pro/con article links to rich related resources that enhance the debate. Students and researchers can explore the “By the Numbers” data, primary sources that provide context, key court cases, debate videos, NPR podcasts, editorials, a Reuters® newsfeed, a chronology, and a bibliography and further resources. Plus, discussion questions are provided to inspire critical thinking and analysis.

What Is Issues & Controversies?

The award-winning Issues & Controversies database helps researchers understand today’s crucial issues by exploring hundreds of hot topics in politics, government, business, society, education, and popular culture. Updated weekly, with an extensive backfile, Issues & Controversies offers in-depth articles—each presenting both sides of an issue clearly, coherently, and without bias—made to inspire thought-provoking debates. Its straightforward presentation of the key facts, arguments, history, and current context of today’s most important and timely issues makes the database an ideal resource for research papers, debate preparation, and persuasive writing assignments.

Click on the links below for more information about Issues & Controversies and to take a free trial:

See also: