I believe in public goods, and you need good data, but we have to be aware that all data can be carceral in a carceral system.
The final speaker of our fall speaker series, Tamara K. Nopper, delivered a talk on crime and policing data demands as reformist reforms.
Nopper began by discussing reformist vs non-reformist reforms. Drawing from Mariama Kaba's work, she noted that some calls for reform are rooted in an understanding of policing as a public good that can be improved, while other reforms better support the ultimate work of abolition.
Within that framework, she discussed data entrepreneurialism and the proliferation of initiatives to better measure crime and make policing more 'efficient' or 'effective.' She also explored how calls for racial justice often come with new demands for policing data--which in turn works to justify policing in new ways.
When discussing hate crime data, Nopper suggested Rachel Kuo and Matthew Bui’s “Against carceral data collection in response to anti-Asian violences,” which reflects on anti-Asian violence and state responses to prevent violence using data-driven strategies.
Tressie McMillan Cottom goes more in-depth in her summary of the talk:
Publications and appearances
“Should they be moderating all posts that mention the movie? That’s a bridge too far, but, at least labeling them would be a step in the right direction.” Shannon McGregor spoke to the Washington Post about candidates citing Dinesh D’Souza’s “2000 Mules” film and platforms’ misinformation labeling practices.
“Considering these platforms have inconsistently and belatedly — if at all — defended accurate information as a public good, this shift raises important questions for democratic societies.” Shannon McGregor spoke to the Seattle Times about the press reassessing its relationship with Twitter.
“It’s important that people recognize who sources are, but more importantly, how the entire event is being framed, and how that framing will shape what you walk away with after you read a story about that subject.” Francesca Tripodi spoke to Pennsylvania’s WITF about how conservative media spread disinformation about the arrest of anti-abortion activist Mark Houck.
“Ultimately, I think black people are quite resourceful collectively, we've had to be otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation. So, I think they'll find another space that suits their needs... there's enough options out there that folks will find ways to communicate with one another. People need to understand that any choice about whether Black Twitter remains on Twitter or goes elsewhere is really a collective decision.” Deen Freelon spoke to Beyond Black History Month about Black Twitter in the Musk age.
Francesca Tripodi worked alongside Retro Report, Stanford History Education Group, and the Teaching Systems Lab to create a skills-based video to help determine whether a person online is real using reverse image search.
Affiliate David Morar has a new op-ed out on California leaders threatening the passage of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA).
Coming soon
November 15: Submission deadline for the 2023 Local Journalism Researchers’ Workshop, organized by the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy at Duke and the Center for Sustainability and Innovation in Local Media at UNC.
November 16, 11:00am-12:30pm: Targeted Disinfo & Online Abuse of Women of Color Political Candidates hosted by the Center for Democracy & Technology and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
December 2, 9am-5pm: The Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison holds its Election Symposium 2022. Shannon McGregor will be on the “Candidate TV Advertising and Social Media” panel.
Rest of Web
💼 Our friends at NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics are looking to hire multiple postdocs to join them in the fall of 2023!
💼 The iSchool at the University of Washington is hiring!
🧵 A thread on data access in the Musk age.