I wrote a piece for a mainstream outlet (not the NYT), mentioning the sexual assault allegations against Roy Moore. Some nervous lawyer edited it to "sexual misconduct." I said, okay, pull my piece. They reverted back to "sexual assault." Writers, don't let them lawyer you down.
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By the way, I think it is appropriate to be careful, and not unduly smear people with allegations and accusations, but it is ridiculous to claim that we cannot correctly describe the accusations especially after multiple non-anonymous accusers have come forward. Spine up, media.
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted Jon Stevens-Hall
Not correctly distinguishing between the severity of the situation, too, is a great disservice to both victims and accused! Accused of molesting minors is not in the same universe as many of the other accusations. It all matters, but so does severity.https://twitter.com/JonHall_/status/938122683530825728 …
zeynep tufekci added,
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Look, there is a whole range of human "misconduct". We can get mad at it all. Some, we try to forgive, move on. Some cross such a line that we have laws, and even when the law does not work as it should, we remain in recoil. Blur that line, and society will become unlivable.
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted Alex Bowles
Yes though a flood of false accusations *can* be used to smear, too. I *do* think we should worry about protecting basic rights of the accused, too, especially in the age of social media. But no "one simple rule" to get out of using judgment.https://twitter.com/alexqgb/status/938128880313032707 …
zeynep tufekci added,
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I want to clarify: obfuscation of allegations of serious crimes by conflating them with much less severe ones is a form of censorship. It's censorship by conflation. That's why I couldn't put my name on it. This isn't taking a giant stance; it's a basic responsibility.
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted Sherri
Yes, women coming together to find a common voice represent a breakthrough; it will be attacked via false claims, challenging credibility, victim wearing down, and conflating types of assault/misconduct. That's actually what my piece is about!https://twitter.com/sjellis_0220/status/938222208639434752 …
zeynep tufekci added,
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Replying to @zeynep
How does one 'harshly punish' false accusations without putting accusers on trial?
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I am not completely certain how to proceed, honestly, because there are trade-offs to any path here. But how to guard against deliberately false accusations should be a high priority, and I thought this before the Veritas/WaPo debacle. Just the beginning.
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Replying to @zeynep
I don't know how to proceed either, and I don't have a good answer, but I do know there is a lot of room between presumption of innocence and...
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Replying to @phredington @zeynep
...punishing accusers. But yes, a lot of things that currently penalize people for making accusations, the public slander, the death threats...
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