If Twitter feels nastier these days, that’s because it is. Media monitors say hate and lies of all kinds have gotten more traction on the platform since it was acquired by self-styled free-speech absolutist Elon Musk. It seems the move has emboldened malicious actors. The trolls are feeling confident. And…

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has prompted fears of an explosion of hate and harmful disinformation on the platform. Malicious actors are already testing the limits of the new regime. One study found the prevalence hate speech terms spiked on Twitter in the hours after the takeover. …

The scenes are simply devastating. Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan has killed more than 1,100 people and destroyed millions of acres of crops. One third of the country stands underwater following a monster monsoon ten times heavier than usual. More than 6.4 million need aid. Pakistan’s misery is just the latest…

Mis- and disinformation spread online are harming our world. We see the most obvious examples every day in the headlines. But the United Nations is also seeing this globally. We are most concerned about the impacts in three areas: COVID, climate, and conflict. Social media has connected people in amazing…

Almasa Salihovic was just eight years old when her brother, Abdulah, was murdered. He had sought shelter in a UN compound near the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica as thousands of his neighbors fled the advancing Bosnian Serb army (VRS) through the surrounding woods and hills. After two days, on…

Never again. It’s a response we reach for instinctively whenever we are confronted with the sickening facts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. But what does it really mean? …

Days ago, Buffalo was just another city. Then, in one murderous afternoon, it joined Christchurch, Charleston, and El Paso on the list of places synonymous with hate crimes. That the list keeps growing is testament to our failure to tackle hate speech. We must act now, before the next atrocity. …

Time is slipping away from us. There is no doubt the world must act now to avoid catastrophic ecological collapse. But climate action is being undermined by bad actors seeking to deflect, distract, and deny efforts to save the planet. Disinformation, spread via social media, is their weapon of choice. …

Today we celebrate World Press Freedom Day. It’s a cause close to my own heart, given my background in journalism and career devoted to communications. Despite progress, journalists continue to face a multitude of threats, including censorship, intimidation, and physical attacks. Many work in the fog of wars, and they…