Mike Masnick responds to Sacha Baron Cohen's recent argument on toxic internet content. His main argument is that Cohen's premise - that a few online media companies are responsible for the online hate - is factually incorrect. "Most of the disinformation and misinformation didn't go very far until it was 'validated' by a mainstream news source, namely: Fox News." Now while I certainly respect the scholars who drew that conclusion, I have to ask wehere they obtained their definition of 'most'. Because online hate is an international problem, while Fox News - for all its vileness - is only a national broadcaster. The rest of Masnick's argument focuses on Cohen's solutions, which are in effect a call for moderation and to slow down the spread of propaganda. My thinking is that both could be assisted greatly by decentralizing. Maybe I'm wrong, but I would ask Masnick - if not this, then what? Because the current situation is surely not acceptable.
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