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IMPORTANT: THREAD
How delusional ideological "patriots" and #DefundTheBBC cranks, aided by @Twitter, the EU & @MetroUK, are actively harming abused, disabled, neglected & deprived British children.
How delusional ideological "patriots" and #DefundTheBBC cranks, aided by @Twitter, the EU & @MetroUK, are actively harming abused, disabled, neglected & deprived British children.
Yesterday I was alerted to two widely circulated tweets claiming the @BBC's Children in Need was to give £10MILION to #BlackLivesMatter 
In less than 24 hours these two tweets had attracted over 15,000 'likes' and over 6,000 retweets.
So I explored the veracity of the claim.
In less than 24 hours these two tweets had attracted over 15,000 'likes' and over 6,000 retweets.
So I explored the veracity of the claim.
The claim is a lie, & to their credit, quickly debunked by @FullFact.
Many of the accounts liking & RTing the two original tweets are passionate supporters of the #DefundTheBBC campaign, now amplified by high profile celebrity accounts such as @LozzaFox. http://fullfact.org/online/children-in-need-blm/
Many of the accounts liking & RTing the two original tweets are passionate supporters of the #DefundTheBBC campaign, now amplified by high profile celebrity accounts such as @LozzaFox. http://fullfact.org/online/children-in-need-blm/
I quickly alerted many people who had amplified the misleading tweets, including the two accounts in question, who expressed no interest in taking down their misinformation.
I did this because in the context of #coronavirus, Children In Need will struggle to raise money.
I did this because in the context of #coronavirus, Children In Need will struggle to raise money.
Since 1980, Children in Need has raised over £1BILLION, & currently supports over 3K local charities & projects for deprived, abused, neglected & disabled British youngsters.
But because a handful of accounts are spreading lies, fewer people will donate. https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/
But because a handful of accounts are spreading lies, fewer people will donate. https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/
So where did this lie originate?
In July the @BBC announced that Children in Need was to match #Stormzy’s £10million pledge with new funding to benefit young Black lives in the UK, in partnership with @1Xtra. But no mention of #BlackLivesMatter was made.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/bbc-cin-stormzy-pledge
In July the @BBC announced that Children in Need was to match #Stormzy’s £10million pledge with new funding to benefit young Black lives in the UK, in partnership with @1Xtra. But no mention of #BlackLivesMatter
was made.https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/bbc-cin-stormzy-pledge
On the same day, a story appeared in the @MetroUK.
The caption for the main picture of Stormzy & Pudsey Bear stated "Children in Need to match Stormzy's £10m pledge to BLM", thus giving the strong impression the @BBC was giving £10m to #BlackLivesMatter https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/13/children-need-vow-match-stormzys-10million-pledge-tackle-race-inequality-uk-12981345/
The caption for the main picture of Stormzy & Pudsey Bear stated "Children in Need to match Stormzy's £10m pledge to BLM", thus giving the strong impression the @BBC was giving £10m to #BlackLivesMatter
https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/13/children-need-vow-match-stormzys-10million-pledge-tackle-race-inequality-uk-12981345/
So what responsibility should @Twitter or the EU take for the reduction in funding that this lie and debacle will inevitably result in, as thousands of people pledge to never again donate to Children in Need?
We need to briefly discuss the regulation of social media platforms.
We need to briefly discuss the regulation of social media platforms.
This article discusses the main issues & risks around governance & regulation of social media platforms, & why simply transplanting e-commerce & monopolies regulation designed for 'legacy media' onto them might make things worse. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21670811.2020.1773888
The basic argument is that the current European approach to platform governance is profoundly inadequate, & even dangerous for democracy.
I can't relay the entire argument here, but this THREAD outlines it. https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1299004402653466625
I can't relay the entire argument here, but this THREAD outlines it. https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1299004402653466625
Recent regulatory initiatives have attempted to make platforms more accountable for reining in the power of individuals to communicate ideas & opinions, but also for eg hate speech, fake news, harmful content, false advertising, political demagogy & cyberbullying etc.
BUT, in so doing, current approaches establish platform governance by making platforms the primary governors of online communication. The major regulatory initiatives that are on the table in Europe treat social media platforms merely as facilitators of the speech of others.
