Columbia journalism dean: Free Speech is being 'weaponized'

In an interview with  MSNBC, Columbia University Journalism School Dean and New Yorker staff writer Steve Coll said that freedom of speech is being “weaponized.”

”Those of us in journalism have to come to terms with the fact that free speech, a principle that we hold sacred, is being weaponized against the principles of journalism,” he told MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt.

He continued to say, “As reporters, we kind of march into this war with our facts nobly shouldered as if they were going to win the day and what we’re seeing is that is because of the scale of this alternative reality that you’ve been talking about, our facts, our principles, our scientific method--it isn’t enough. So what do we do?”

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The comments were in response to a question from Hunt regarding the responsibility of Big Tech in what is shared on their platforms. 

“They’ve learned to put some brakes on, you know, here and there, but you can’t get away from the fact that their mission is to connect everybody in the world,” said Coll. “That’s what motivates Mark Zuckerberg, and it’s his passion and he profoundly believes in free speech.”

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In a statement to Campus Reform, Coll said he has “no interest in restraining or rolling back free speech in any way.”

“I am concerned about the organized disinformation and propaganda in our public discourse,” Coll told Campus Reform.

Campus Reform reached out to the Columbia School of Journalism for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

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