Tioga Herald

The National Education Association, for which I am a member (with AFT) is encouraging “social media”” to regulate what is published. The excuse given by Tik Tok is bizarre. Having worked with the Internet as a pioneer in the age of infancy of the Internet (even DARPANET), I can say that Tik Tok’s excuse is a flimsy one, at best.
We used moderators for anything published in forums and what not and we had no difficulties. Just as articles or letters to editors are submitted to editors who review for accuracy before publishing, a moderator on a forum (forerunner to blogs) moderates by reviewing for accuracy before publishing. It takes time and yes, we need to employ more people to do it. What a shame, right? Employ human beings rather than using computers and robots?
Those days were also the days when the Fairness Doctrine in media still existed. Republicans like Reagan and Bush tore down that doctrine which was established in a bipartisan agreement following World War II and gave us a more civilized nation rather than one with the mentally ill encouraging and emboldening young people to do acts of vandalism and assault. Hatred of fellow human beings was not allowed, especially when it is based on rumors, false conspiracy theories, and other false information. Once the Fairness Doctrine was destroyed, talk radio of hatred and false information sprang up, particularly that of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Then we ended up with “social media” and no controls over it. If someone tries to control it, then the mentally ill who propagate the hatred proclaim such regulations go against “free speech,” liberties, and is a form of censorship. I argue that it is NOT any one of these things because regulation and moderation of such information means the stories are not banned, but are evaluated for accuracy and, if there is partial truth, then the stories are so notated. That takes time and pushes the mentally ill who want instant gratification, like little brats in a sandbox kicking sand at one another – little bratty kid attitudes – upset. They should be upset when someone tries to kick their buttes and stop them from being little children, grow up and mature and become the adults ina civilized world.
CBS News needs to include this aspect for which I am discussing here. But CBS and other media outlets do not do this. Shame on them all. Rather than call this junk in Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, or other sources “social media,” let us call it what it is. “Social technology.” “Social online portal.” “Social online platform.” It is NOT news and information and shame on the media for not pointing this out. What kind of fear do they have? Losing money? If so, shame on such a media where LOVE OF MONEY predominates. Love os money is evil.

My thanks to those of NEA who were given a chance to speak up on the CBS report this morning. So many of us are not given that opportunity and that is sad, too.

To establish power in Russia, by the Bolsheviks, they used hate speech and propaganda (false news) to accomplish the goals of vulgar and vicious people. To establish the Hitler Youth in Germany, there was the use of lies of propaganda for vulgar, vicious, and uncivilized and barbarian attacks on other people. Let us stop this in America and stop it now. Don’t “appease” the other side by going along with their crap about “censorship.” Civilized society needs to moderate the barbarism and stop it. That is NOT censorship, so stop it, and stop it NOW. it is important for America and important for keeping civilization civilized.