Washington Post Opinion: “In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” the character Ron — channeling his friend Hermione — says to Harry Potter: “When in doubt, go to the library.” In the United States today, there is plenty to doubt. Complex arguments are being whittled down to 280 characters.
And of course, the president has made more than 5,000 false or misleading statements in about 600 days. Just last week, he falsely claimed that 3,000 Puerto Ricans “did not die in the two hurricanes.” Lies have become too commonplace in the United States, so the American people need a place where they can go to get the truth. Ron is right. Go to your public library. Public libraries provide information in an era of misinformation. They offer facts and nuance. They offer the opportunity for enlightenment. They offer every visitor the resources they need to find answers. The American Library Association reports that many public libraries are, for instance, “developing programs to help community members spot ‘fake news’ and evaluate information online.”…
Cram, Ian and Fenwick, Helen, Protecting Free Speech and Academic Freedom in Universities (September 2018). The Modern Law Review, Vol. 81, Issue 5, pp. 825-873, 2018. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3245459 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-2230.12366
“Digital disinformation poses a grave threat to our democracy and demands a new social contract between consumers and internet companies that is rooted in transparency, privacy and competition, according to a new report co-published by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and New America, the Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank. The report, titled “Digital Deceit II: A Policy Agenda to Fight Disinformation on the Internet,” argues for the codification of a set of digital rights into public law encompassing a set of regulations designed to advance democratic values and protect the public from disinformation while fostering open digital markets…The report outlines a sweeping policy framework that would address the digital threat to democracy, focused on three key principles:
- Ad Transparency – As citizens, we have a right to know who is trying to influence our political views and how they are doing it. There must be explicit disclosure about the operation of such advertising and the content curation processes on dominant digital media platforms. We must have disclosure in the form of real-time and archived information about targeted political advertising, clear accountability for the social impact of automated decision-making, and explicit indicators for the presence of non-human accounts in digital media.
- Privacy – As individuals with the right to personal autonomy, we must be given more control over how our data is collected, used and monetized, particularly when it comes to sensitive information that shapes political decision-making. A baseline data privacy law must include consumer control over data through stronger rights to access and removal, transparency for the user of the full extent of data usage and meaningful consent, and stronger enforcement with resources and authority for agency rule-making.
- Competition – As consumers, we must have meaningful options to find, send and receive information over digital media. The rise of dominant digital platforms demonstrates how market structure influences social and political outcomes. A new competition policy agenda should include stronger oversight of mergers and acquisitions, antitrust reform and robust data portability and interoperability between services…”
Streaming the ABC's 'Jesuits': Guthrie's hard lesson for digital leaders
TOM BURTON: Michelle Guthrie took on the unthankful task of modernising the ABC's organisational structure to focus on audiences, rather than the medium.
Hire chief risk officers to encourage positive risk culture, say reviewers
PGPA ACT REPORT: "Dedicated leadership" is required to build a more positive risk culture in the Australian Public Service, and appointing chief risk officers could help this happen, argue the reviewers.
Experts in the PS: Steven Kennedy challenges talk of capability decline
CAPABILITY: One of the federal government's newest departmental secretaries, Dr Steven Kennedy, disputes the narrative that Australian Public Service has experienced a severe capability decline over recent decades.
NSW officials to park out Sydney's Central Station for Right to Know
TRANSPARENCY: If it was any other group staking out Sydney's Central Station with polished messages about the public having a "right to know" what the government is doing on their behalf, they'd be mistaken for protesters.
The man who sealed Michelle Guthrie's fate
"The former OzEmail and Telstra exec, who is close to Malcolm Turnbull, just made the most contentious call of his career." (The Age)
Five ways to increase trust in Canberra
"There are some concrete actions that the political class could take to restore Canberra's standing in the community." (AFR)
There’s an optimal time to give negative feedback
"Why the best time to give unflattering feedback is in the morning." (Quartz)
