US-based social media and internet companies have agreed to enforce a code of conduct for so-called hate speech in Europe, but the rules also call on the companies to promote "counter-narratives" to hate speech. What does that mean? Then a look at the line between community policing and entrapment in gay sex stings; plus, what the latest research says about gluten-free diets
Silicon tech companies agree to 'code of conduct' for hate speech in EU
The U.S.’s biggest social media and internet companies have agreed to enforce a code of conduct for so-called hate speech in Europe.
Though even so-called hate speech is protected in the US, that's not the case in much of Europe. Now, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Microsoft have agreed to quickly remove what European countries say is illegal hate speech.
The companies have also agreed to promote “counter-narratives” to hate speech that's posted. What does that mean? And how do companies that champion free speech square that claim with this deal?
Guests:
Amar Toor, Paris based reporter for The Verge, an online publication covering technology, science, art, and culture.
Estelle Masse, EU policy analyst at Access Now, an international advocacy group dedicated to an open and free Internet.
Gorilla shooting controversy: how zoos balance safety with natural setting
Cincinnati Zoo staffers shot a gorilla after a 4 year old boy made his way into the animal's enclosure.
Attendees filmed the 400-pound Gorilla as he dragged the boy around the space. Zoo officials say that the shooting was necessary to protect the child from the gorilla, named Harambe.
Still, the action drew ire from animal-rights activists. Many said that the loss of the gorilla's life was unnecessary and that the parents should be prosecuted for not paying proper attention to their kid as he entered the Harambe's space.
Local prosecutors have said that they are investigating the case to determine if the parents or the zoo are at fault.
Guests:
Joyce Kaplan, Expert in Zookeeping; Faculty Dept. Chair of the Biology and Management of Zoo Animals program at Portland Community College
Jody Armor, Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law.
Reading today’s presidential election through the life of Abraham Lincoln
In any presidential election season, people often give a lot of thought to who candidates are, and the perspectives of life that they come from.
But perhaps no one past president’s story is as fascinating as Abraham Lincoln’s.
Coming from poor beginnings, Lincoln was known for his insatiable appetite for news. He would later delve into the writings of Tom Paine, Euclid, Shakespeare and the Bible. Lincoln rose out of poverty, becoming socially mobile with his marriage to Mary Todd. He eventually was thrust into the national political spotlight as the sixteenth president of the United States.
Author Sidney Blumenthal has focused extensively on Lincoln’s political life, and has written volumes to prove it. Blumenthal joins AirTalk to talk about his book, “A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln.” Blumenthal will also lend insight into what comparisons can be made between the political climate of Lincoln’s time, and today.
Guest:
Sidney Blumenthal, author of the new book, "A Self-Made Man: The Political life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. 1, 1809-1949" (Simon & Schuster, 2016). He is a former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, and senior adviser to Hillary Clinton.
Exploring the line between community policing and entrapment when it comes to gay sex stings
50-year-old Rory Moroney says he knew the reputation of the men’s room at Recreation Park in Long Beach as a spot for gay men to cruise, or look for someone who wants to have semi-public sex, but that he’d never gone in looking for the experience. So when a man began nodding and smiling at him as he washed his hands, he took a chance and approached the man. Turns out he was an undercover cop, and Moroney was arrested for exposing himself.
Last month, the charges against Moroney were dropped after a Superior Court judge lambasted the Long Beach Police Department’s practice, calling it discriminatory due to the fact that the department only used male officers in the stings and the department had only arrested male suspects. LBPD said they weren’t expecting the decision but that they’d take a closer look in future case of lewd conduct. They added that they only do those kind of decoy operations as a response to complaints from the public and that it is a last-resort kind of tactic.
Undercover sting operations are obviously an immensely useful tool for law enforcement officers when it comes to community policing, but where does the line exist between enforcing the law and entrapment?
Guests:
Porter Gilberg, executive director of The LGBTQ Center in Long Beach
Commander Paul Lebaron, Commander with the Long Beach Police Department overseeing detectives division
Should schools flag transcripts of campus sexual offenders?
As awareness of campus sexual assault increases, some schools are considering adding a notation on a student’s transcript for having been punished or dismissed for sexual misconduct.
Those in support of the measure argue that academic institutions cannot take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of other students.
Some, like the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, a trade association of higher education professionals, supports the option for colleges to add a notation, but says it’s complicated knowing just how much information to include in the notation. that as an option for colleges and universities to consider.
The organization says that about 15 percent of schools engage in the practice now, and expects more to do so in the future. Some remain skeptical, citing unreliability as major concern. Laws mandating transcript notation have passed in Virginia and New York, but failed in Maryland and California. The District of Columbia is currently considering such a measure.
Should transcripts be reserved for academic notations or should universities start adding other notations for the safety of others? How beneficial could the mark actually be? How permanent should the notation be and how much information should be included? Should high school transcripts reveal information about sexual misconduct, too?
Guests:
Mark Hathaway, private defense attorney in Los Angeles who has represented students and others accused of sexual misconduct
Michele Landis Dauber, helped revise Stanford’s policy on sexual assault and is a nationally-respected advocate for improving college and university policies on sexual assault. She is also a professor of Law and Sociology at Stanford University.
Gluten-free only beneficial for Celiacs, new study says
Going gluten-free is all the rage these days, but whether this diet de jour is beneficial for those who don’t suffer from gluten insensitivity or Celiac disease has been in dispute.
A new report published earlier this month in the Journal of Pediatrics is the latest study to weigh in on the debate. And its verdict: being on a gluten-free diet doesn’t necessarily benefit those who are not Celiac. What’s more, it could even damage the health of those who can eat gluten.
“The Gluten-Free Diet: Recognizing Fact, Fiction, and Fad” by Norelle Reilly
Guest:
Norelle Reilly, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Columbia University Medical Center, and an author of the paper, “The Gluten-Free Diet: Recognizing Fact, Fiction, and Fad” that was published in this month’s Journal of Pediatrics