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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed
@brihreed.bsky.social
540 followers 300 following 150 posts
Host of Question Everything from KCRW and Placement Theory: lnk.to/khCBOC Co-founder of Placement Theory Host of S-Town; Co-Host of The Trojan Horse Affair (Serial/New York Times); formerly senior producer at This American Life Signal: brihreed.45
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 1d
We are excited to be nominated for a Signal Award in three categories! Please vote for us, it helps the show. Go to vote.signalaward.com, search for “Placement Theory”, and vote for the three entries that pop up. Thank you!
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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 1d
We are excited to be nominated for a Signal Award in three categories! Please vote for us, it helps the show. Go to vote.signalaward.com, search for “Placement Theory”, and vote for the three entries that pop up. Thank you!
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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 2d
Read the full sitch here 🔗: open.substack.com/pub/question...
Why the BBC claims it had “no choice” but to nix a film about Gaza.
Let’s parse their reasoning.
open.substack.com
brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 2d
I found the response the BBC gave to our reporting about the Gaza documentary they killed to be incredible. In what world does the BBC not have a choice about what to run or not? In what world does it not have a choice over what its own editorial and ethical policies are?

Link ⬇️
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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
I gotcha
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
Yes to be clear, I'm not proposing government fines or regulation. That, to me, is the elegance of this solution. It's *removing* a regulation -- by stripping away a special subsidy the govt has bestowed upon only tech platforms -- and forcing their business models to adapt to market forces.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
Their business models are built on this special liability shield in Section 230 that no other industry gets. We've seen the business model is harmful. Let's bring them on an even playing field with all other media.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
It's not a fine. They'd be exposed to lawsuits from those who are defamed. Most lies are not defamatory -- 99% of lies are protected speech. But for defamatory lies -- like against Dominion Voting Systems Sandy Hook families -- those who were defa med could sue the platforms. Right now, they can't.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
My point is: they are doing that already. They're identifying things that are false and incendiary and boosting those things. With no liability. I think the liability should be imposed for algorithmic boosting. They shouldn't censor posts. But not everybody is entitled to massive boosting.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
As of this week we have a new social meida app, Sora, from OpenAI, which makes powerful AI generated video in seconds and spreads it around. They need the normal liability other content creators and media companies have to force any kind of accountability.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
We know their algorithms are already identifying content for aspects of it that are harmful to boost it. Let's disincentivize that.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
Yeah, if social media as we know it went away, would that be such a bad thing? But assuming their business is so strong they're motivated to find a way to keep their model, they don't need to arbitrate the truth of every post. How about just NOT algorithmically boosting lies to travel 6X faster?
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
Don’t forget the Ellisons getting in on TikTok too — which because of Section 230 is immune from lawsuits! That’s where I think we need to focus and can make an impact.
brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
No. We need to strip the special immunity social media companies have from lawsuits (for defamation, etc). Put them on an even playing field with the rest of the market, and expose their business models to the same liability as everyone else. Not govt intervention or regulation.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 5d
This is a nightmare. Not that traditional media needs to be *the* trusted source of news, but knowing the alternative information ecosystem people are turning to, there needs to be a systemic effort to disincentivize lies there and incentivize facts.

(h/t @oliverdarcy.bsky.social at Status)
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 6d
Think about the role of these quotations marks in this reporting on this news about reporting, and what it says about the state of reality right now.
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 6d
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3CGZ...
The Film the BBC Wouldn’t Air
open.spotify.com
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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 6d
🎧🍎: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/q...
The Film the BBC Wouldn’t Air
Podcast Episode · Question Everything · 10/02/2025 · 45m
podcasts.apple.com
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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 6d
On this week’s Question Everything … the urgent film about Gaza the BBC wouldn’t air.

🔗🔗Links to listen in the thread📻⬇️
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 6d
Anyone working at CBS News who wants to share anything about what's going on around you in the coming days and weeks (or months) -- totally anonymously -- my signal is open: brihreed.45
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Reposted by Brian Reed
clarajeffery.bsky.social
Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 14d
Redford on the importance of journalism, made me a bit weepy , tbqh www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMN6f8gp/
Robert Redford on the true meaning behind All the President's Men #movietalk #filmtok #movietok #cinema #filmcommunity #moviediscussion #filmhistory #movieculture #moviehistory #movies #films #filmmak...
TikTok video by Lucas Cavanagh
www.tiktok.com
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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 14d
Subscribe on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/q...
Question Everything
News Commentary Podcast · Updated Biweekly · Reporter Brian Reed re-examines everything about journalism, the profession he thought he knew. In the middle of making his second hit podcast, Brian got s...
podcasts.apple.com
brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 14d
Follow on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2sNXpac...
Question Everything Returns, Raring for a Fight
open.spotify.com
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Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 14d
"Question Everything" is back with a new mission -- and a bigger fact-checking budget. (Thanks @kcrw.com 🙏🏼)

Tomorrow.
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brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 15d
Well we very much agree on this.
brihreed.bsky.social
Brian Reed @brihreed.bsky.social · 15d
I think it made sense at the time and did for a while.
Specifically, I think a platform that's using powerful algorithms to assess content, boost and target posts to audiences on a massive scale, and raking in profit as a result, should bear liability as a publisher. Those are editorial decisions.
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