This end of year review is part of a series from Backbench’s editorial team as they consider some of the themes that have dominated 2020. The views expressed in these reviews are those of the editors themselves and do not…
This end of year review is part of a series from Backbench’s editorial team as they consider some of the themes that have dominated 2020. The views expressed in these reviews are those of the editors themselves and do not…
Regularly, we read, hear, and see discussions about misinformation – ‘fake news’ – an increasingly normalised part of everyday language and debate. However, online misinformation is often seen as a generational problem, which influences older, less tech-savvy and unsuspecting individuals.…
In 2020, 45 million people or 66% of the total UK population had an active social media presence. That pales in comparison to usage in countries in Asia and North America where between 70-90% of the population have social media…
Former President Barack Obama this week referred to social media-fuelled misinformation as “the single biggest threat to our democracy”. This, alongside countless other examples of the breakneck speed with which falsities travel around our world, begs the question: how did we get…
Press conferences are a staple part of the political cycle. In allowing politicians to make theirarguments, they also provide a space for journalist scrutiny to take place. A speech is given,questions follow and hopefully, the audience turns off the press…
2020 has been an interesting year to say the very least. Even though the news has been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, the aftermath of Brexit, and more recently, the US election, free speech has managed to keep its place…
The government seems to think ‘cancel culture’ infringes on freedom of speech. The Department for Education’s amendments to the September curriculum places this issue as a forefront in the relationships and sex education (RSE) module, indiscriminately condemning it as a…
The avenues through which we, particularly young people, receive our news and keep up with current affairs are changing and evolving. Mostly, they are becoming increasingly digitised, fast and varied. A recent Ofcom poll showed that just 35% of young people read…
Today in 2020, social media usage is widespread. 88% of 18 to 29 year olds have at least one active social media account, and public figures such as the president of the United States use Twitter to publicly project their…