Who's watching Big Tech? The dangers of using algorithms to fight extremism
The Hill published an op-ed written by John J. Farmer, Jr., the director of Eagleton. "[H]istory counsels caution today when, in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, our government has awakened belatedly to the danger of domestic extremism and has pledged tens of millions of dollars to arrest its spread. Although varying approaches are being proffered to the Biden administration, they are unified by identifying as a principal source of the problem the role of social media platforms’ algorithms in organizing and amplifying extremist messaging," wrote Farmer.
Mitch McConnell once knew all about the filibuster’s racist history. What changed?
The Washington Post's The Monkey Cage blog published an op-ed written by Eagleton Professor Saladin Ambar.
"Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said of the filibuster that it “has no racial history at all. None. There’s no dispute among historians about that.” That comment, tweeted out by NBC News’s Sahil Kapur, had many of those historians scratching their heads. The simple truth is that the filibuster — a Senate rule that allows for extended debate — was the most prominent tool employed to thwart the civil rights of African Americans during the period when McConnell came of age... Willful ignorance of the dark moments in America’s past leaves us confronting our present challenges in a state of amnesia. There is no dispute among historians about the filibuster’s racist past. However, McConnell appears to have strategically forgotten his own powerful admiration for Cooper, who opposed filibusters intended to hold up racial progress, back when McConnell first learned the rules of the Senate." wrote Ambar.
With More Women In State Office, Family Leave Policies Have Not Caught Up
NPR interviewed CAWP Associate Director Jean Sinzdak about parental leave polices for state elected officials.
"These conversations about parental leave policies are new, according to Jean Sinzdak, the associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. One of the reasons: Three-quarters of all elected officials are still men... 'When you do not have policies in place that level the playing field and make it easier for people to participate, it naturally continues the institutionalization of the barriers... that people just can't get over those hurdles,' says Sinzdak."
Building Democracy: The Story of Legislatures
The latest National Conference of State Legislatures podcast episode featured the song, "That's Democracy." The lyrics of the song were written by former Eagleton Director Alan Rosenthal and the music and performance is by Ginger Gold Schnitzer, Eagleton alumna and former student of Professor Rosenthal. The song was included in the podcast as a tribute to Professor Rosenthal, who was nationally-known for immersing himself for almost 50 years in studying and improving state government. The leading expert in his field, he set a high standard for research, education and service.
Far-Right Extremists Move From ‘Stop the Steal’ to Stop the Vaccine
The New York Times interviewed Miller Center Fellow Joel Finkelstein about the Miller Center and NCRI new report examining disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.
“It increases the opportunity for a big tent enemy,” said Joel Finkelstein. “If you are feeling dispossessed, like all these right-wing groups are, boy do I have a tent for you.” |
