KNX In Depth: Twitter cracks down on misinformation

The social media platform Twitter recently announced potential new policies to police misinformation and disinformation in its newsfeeds.

“What Twitter is proposing is that they will not prioritize the tweet in the newsfeed,” or will place warnings or barriers on content, social media expert and professor of journalism  Jeffery Blevins explained in a live radio segment with KNX.

Blevins, who heads UC’s Department of Journalism, says he thinks the timing is curious since the Biden administration recently withdrew the establishment of a governance board to combat the spread of erroneous information. It’s possible, Blevins says, that the backlash of banning celebrities and popular figures such as Trump played into Twitter's decision.

Blevins is a highly cited expert on the topic of social media and its influences. He recently published a study on the spread of medical misinformation during the earlier stages of the pandemic.      

Listen to the interview

Featured image at top courtsey of Unsplash.