Category Archives: Media appearance

The Herald op-ed on racist violence in Northern Ireland

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Yesterday I had an op-ed published in the Herald (Glasgow). It discusses the racist rioting seen in Northern Ireland earlier this month.

I argued that politicians have to take responsibility for their role in producing a toxic political discourse about immigration. In towns like Ballymena and Larne, there was violence. Politicians framed anti-migrant demonstrations as representing the ‘legitimate concerns’ of local communities. Now, more than ever, we need a fact-based narrative on immigration. It should be anti-racist to prevent a repeat of these racist riots.

Many thanks to Charlotte Morris and the Herald for arranging this. The op-ed can be read in full here.

The National interview on anti-far-right summit in Scotland

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I was quoted in an article by The National’s Steph Brawn on the anti-far right summit in Scotland.

I argued that there was too much focus on the spectacle of the rise of Reform. The Scottish political mainstream needs to test their policies on issues like immigration and offer viable alternatives. The rise of parties like Reform is due to a breakdown in trust in political institutions, which will take a long time to recover from. However the first step must be to inject facts into debates over immigration and to avoid leaning into emotional narratives that inflame tensions further.

Many thanks to Steph for the opportunity and Charlotte Morris for arranging it.

The article can be read in full here

Op-ed published in Scotsman on the Rise of Far-Right Extremism in Scotland

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Yesterday I had an op-ed published in The Scotsman. In ‘Social media isn’t solely to blame for rise of far-right’, I argue for a holistic approach. It’s too easy to pin the blame solely on online platforms that amplify hate and misinformation. Politicians need to dial down the rhetoric on issues like immigration. It’s time to focus on why right-wing extremism resonates with young people rather than solely blame social media algorithms.

Many thanks to Charlotte Morris for helping arrange this. It can be read in full here.

TikTok Under Trump: Euronews interview on the Influence of Tech Billionaires

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I was interviewed by Anna Desmarais for an article. It was published by Euronews on the future of TikTok under the Trump administration. I argued that tech ‘broligarchs’ like Elon Musk lack accountability when they decide what is ‘free speech’ or not. Their influence on public discourse presents a threat to democratic values. This is particularly concerning given their ability to censor content they disagree with.

Thanks to Anna for the interview, it can be read in full here.

Elon Musk’s X: Interviewed for Dazed article on Social Media Exodus

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Photo by Mati Mango on Pexels.com

Earlier this week, I spoke to Thom Waite. It was for a Dazed article on the role of Elon Musk’s X. The focus was during the recent US Presidential Election. We discussed whether the recent exodus from X will continue. We also explored reasons why people would choose to stay on the microblogging site.

Many thanks to Thom for the invitation. The article can be read in full here.

BBC Interview: AI vs Human Moderators

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BBC Breakfast interview on social media content moderation

This week I was interviewed by BBC Tech editor Zoe Kleinman. It was for a piece on the human cost of social media content moderation. We discussed whether it was possible for AI to replicate the job done by human moderators. I argued that human moderation was necessary, but that these jobs are very harmful to those who do them.

The clip can be viewed below.

I also contributed to this article exploring the human costs of moderating traumatic images and videos.

Many thanks to Zoe, Georgina and the BBC crew for the chat, and to Charlotte Morris for helping organise this.

Op-ed on social media and UK riots published on LBC Views

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Van on fire during the 2024 Southport Riots CC BY 3.0

I have had an op-ed published on LBC Views yesterday. I discussed how social media platforms will face penalties for not doing more to combat online misinformation and hate speech that contributed to the UK riots. I also argued that politicians and public figures who have created a toxic discourse around immigration need to take some of the blame for the civil unrest too.

Thanks to Katy Rankin for the invitation. The post can be read here

VIEWdigital article on how social media should be held accountable for amplifying hateful content during UK riots

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Thousands attended an anti-racism rally in Belfast city centre

Delighted to have written an article for VIEWdigital on the responsibility of social media for amplifying hateful content during the UK riots. I argue that there are some steps that users can take to mitigate its impact if platforms are unwilling to take stronger action on hate speech and misinformation.

Many thanks to Brian Pelan and Una Murphy for the invitation. The article can be read here

Interviewed on LBC News about social media prosecutions during UK riots

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Photo by Joaquin Carfagna on Pexels.com

On Saturday (10 August) I was

On Saturday I spoke to Andrew Peach on LBC News about the number of arrests linked to the use of social media to incite violence during the UK riots. We discussed issues like Twitter owner Elon Musk’s amplification of conspiracy theories and what platforms can do to remove harmful content.

The interview can be listened to here

Thanks to Andrew, Elliot, and David for the invitation.

Interviewed for The National on social media and protests in Glasgow

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Article in The National, 8 August 2024

On Wednesday I spoke to Hamish Morrison from The National about the list of far-right protests in Scotland circulated on social media. We discussed how far-right groups used apps like Telegram to organise, the threat of misinformation during the recent riots in England, and how best to respond to false information circulating online.

Thanks to Hamish and Charlotte Morris for the invitation. The article can be read here.