A News Media Perspective on Section 230, With David Chavern

03/17/21 • 27 min

David Chavern, CEO of a news industry trade association representing nearly 2,000 publishers, joins Ellysse and Ashley to discuss the impact of Section 230 on traditional media and the spread of misinformation, as well as how the news industry handles the issue of intermediary liability.

Mentioned

David Chavern, “The News Media and Section 230,” News Media Alliance, February 19, 2020.
David Chavern, “Section 230 Is a Government License to Build Rage Machines,” Wired, September 14, 2020.
Sacha Baron Cohen, “Sacha Baron Cohen’s Keynote Address at ADL’s 2019 Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate,” ADL, November 21, 2019.
“H.R.8636 - Protecting Americans from Dangerous Algorithms Act,” Congress.gov.
Roger McNamee, “Facebook Cannot Fix Itself. But Trump’s Effort to Reform Section 230 Is Wrong,” TIME, June 4, 2020.

Related

Ashley Johnson and Daniel Castro, “Fact-Checking the Critiques of Section 230: What Are the Real Problems?” (ITIF, February 2021).

Mentioned

David Chavern, “The News Media and Section 230,” News Media Alliance, February 19, 2020.
David Chavern, “Section 230 Is a Government License to Build Rage Machines,” Wired, September 14, 2020.
Sacha Baron Cohen, “Sacha Baron Cohen’s Keynote Address at ADL’s 2019 Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate,” ADL, November 21, 2019.
“H.R.8636 - Protecting Americans from Dangerous Algorithms Act,” Congress.gov.
Roger McNamee, “Facebook Cannot Fix Itself. But Trump’s Effort to Reform Section 230 Is Wrong,” TIME, June 4, 2020.

Related

Ashley Johnson and Daniel Castro, “Fact-Checking the Critiques of Section 230: What Are the Real Problems?” (ITIF, February 2021).

Previous Episode

How Section 230 Promotes Competition, With Jessica Ashooh

Jessica Ashooh, Director of Policy at Reddit, joins Ellysse and Ashley to explore the impact of Section 230 on small to mid-sized companies and explain its importance for innovation and competition in the Internet economy.

Mentioned

“H.R.1865 - Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017,” Congress.gov.

Related

Emily Birnbaum, “Reddit worries it’s going to be crushed in the fight against Big Tech,” Protocol, October 28, 2020.

Next Episode

How Section 230 Safeguards Civil Liberties, With Jennifer Huddleston

Jennifer Huddleston, tech policy expert at the American Action Forum, joins Ellysse and Ashley to highlight the benefits of Section 230 for free speech, competition, and innovation and explore the potential implications of new regulations for civil liberties.
Mentioned

Brent Skorup and Jennifer Huddleston, “The Erosion of Publisher Liability in American Law, Section 230, and the Future of Online Curation,” Oklahoma Law Review 72, no. 3 (2020).
Billy Easley, “Revising the Law That Lets Platforms Moderate Content Will Silence Marginalized Voices,” Slate, October 29, 2020.
“H.R.1865 - Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017,” Congress.gov.

Ellysse and Ashley Break the Internet - A News Media Perspective on Section 230, With David Chavern

Transcript

David Chavern: We are forced to compete in that marketplace that the platforms have set up, where we have expensive, quality content and we’re competing against the worst, cheapest garbage you can have.

Ellysse Dick: Welcome to Ellysse and Ashley Break the Internet, a series where we’re exploring the ins and outs of Section 230, one of the foundational laws that shaped the way information is shared in the digital age. I’m Ellysse Dick, Research Fel