Discussion Questions:
1. What ethical values are in conflict in the debate over fact checking or labelling Trump’s tweets as containing misinformation?
2. Should the President be held to different standards than normal social media users when it comes to bombastic or potentially misinformed tweets or opinions? Why or why not?
3. What political speech should be subject to fact checking on social media? Whose job should it be to address the truthfulness of content on social media?
4. What’s more dangerous: misinformation or censorship? Is there a way to address one concern without promoting the other? Further Information:
Burch, S. (2018, August 20). “Twitter Shouldn’t be ‘Arbiters of Truth,’ Says CEO Jack Dorsey.” The Wrap. Available at: https://www.thewrap.com/twitter-arbiters-truth-jack-dorsey/
Cummings, W. (2020, May 28). “Trump fuming at social media over Twitter fact check. How platforms handle misinformation differently.” USA Today. Available at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/27/social-media-platforms- different-approaches-misinformation/5265288002/
Kessler, G., Rizzo, S., & Kelly, M. (2020, July 13). “President Trump has made more than 20,000 false or misleading claims.” The Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/13/president-trump-has-made-more- than-20000-false-or-misleading-claims/