TAlison Pearson's story is nothing short of a morality tale regarding modern media. Among its many lessons is calling out groups of people of color who display flags on social media.People who hate Jews You may get into trouble. But apparently, you could also be best friends with the richest man in the world.
On Monday night, almost exactly a year after the Telegraph reporter posted a photo of a police officer alongside two men holding flags on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, she expressed their “huge gratitude” to the site's owners. Thank you Elon Musk for his support. After he responded, she referred to the billionaire with a newly powerful job in the U.S. government as “she.”New best friend ♥️” she wrote in a post to her 191,500 followers. in her words“Hundreds of Black and Asian believers.”
Before I explain how we got here, to a situation where a stupid tweet that was deleted became a standard-bearer for free speech in many media outlets, I think it's worth stopping and taking a breath. Seems wise. Before I add another organization to what has become the media stack, let me be clear that I believe free speech is a human right and a cornerstone of democracy. I also generally Oppose heavy-handed police actions, such as knocking on journalists' doors over deleted social media posts. But I also believe that mistreating groups of men based on (false) assumptions about their skin color or nationality is wrong and in fact racist. Holding this opinion that racists and misogynists shouldn't be able to say whatever they want under the banner of free speech makes me a member of cancel culture. rather than being a member of a civilized culture.
But here we are on the front lines of a culture war, fighting the good fight over bad tweets. And it's kind of a battle. “My week in hell shows that the Britain we loved and trusted is gone,” Pearson advertises on page one. Exaggerated, laments in today's Telegraph.
The incident began when police visited Pearson's home on Remembrance Sunday following accusations that the writer had incited racial hatred. She claims police did not tell her what the tweet in question was.
Last Wednesday, the Telegraph headlined how “Telegraph reporters are taking part in a 'Kafkaesque' hate crime investigation” instead of leading the Archbishop of Canterbury, who resigned in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis. Pearson's story then remained on the front page for the next four days. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his Daily Mail column to advise his successor:Police on the streets, not tweets“.flat BBC Radio 4 PM The program included a discussion of where the standard should be set for non-criminal hate incidents, after which Essex Police released a partial transcript of body camera footage and revealed that she was being investigated for an actual crime under British law. He pointed out that he had received it. In other words, it could “incite racial hatred.”
After an exclusive article in the Guardian revealed the details. Tweet at the center of the story On Friday, some X users spread the claim that the tweet was posted. botrather than Pearson himself. However, the tweet was said to be from Pearson, and an account using her name appears to have mirrored the post from Pearson's account.
When the first battle between writers and the state over free speech began 400 years agoit was the government that had all the powers. Politicians are now so afraid of online mobs that they seem to want nothing to do with them. Keir Starmer was on his way to Rio de Janeiro to attend the G20 summit when asked directly about this story. In an unspecific response, he tweeted that police needed to “focus on what matters most to our community.”
she asked when Ms Pearson went public with her tussle with police last week.Who decides where to set the bar for what is offensive?The answer appears to be the owners of social media platforms, the arbiters of what is considered racist and inflammatory. When Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, he suggested his goal was to restore “free speech.” By Monday night, Mr Pearson had asked his new best friend to buy the Telegraph, which was still up for sale 18 months after its previous owner had failed to pay off his debts.Would you like to buy a British newspaper? Good journalists, good values, anti-wokeness, professional sanity and humor – you need a caring owner. ”
400 years ago, when John Milton wrote a seminal piece in support of free speech, he named it Areopagitica It is named after the Hill of Athens (also named after the god Ares), which housed the court of law that handled important public affairs. In today's social media blogger key, the world increasingly seems to be ruled by a handful of extremely wealthy men, and Ares' mask is a group of people who believe they can say whatever they want. is supported. The result is a social media culture of “who shouts the loudest” and a loss of trust in mainstream media, especially among young people.
This is a playbook that encourages abuse, and most of us don't want to play with it anymore. Musk supported Pearson, writing, “This has to stop.” He was right, even if it wasn't what he believed.
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Jane Martinson is a columnist for the Guardian
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