Social media blamed for risk to reporters

SOCIAL media has fuelled anger against traditional media which has led to more than 140 journalists being attacked during protests in the US, an early investor in Facebook has claimed.

Roger McNamee, who has disowned the company, said: “I have lost count of the number of journalists who have been attacked [in the protests].

“This is entirely because Facebook and Twitter are amplifying attacks against the media.”

Reporters have been accused of being the “enemy of the people” and “fake news” in attacks by Donald Trump across Facebook and Twitter.

During the US protests, journalists – including reporters and camera crews

– have been targeted. Linda Tirado, a photographer based in Nashville, was blinded in one eye after being shot by a “non-lethal” round by police.

Multiple incidents of police firing at journalists have been caught live on air, including in Louisville, Kentucky, where Kaitlin Rust, a television reporter, screamed “I’ve been shot”, as police fired rubber bullet rounds.

The National Union of Journalists has said the US president’s attacks “pollute political and public discourse and fan the flames of hatred”.

Facebook and Twitter hit back yesterday at claims their services created a risk for journalists. Facebook said: “Mr McNamee hasn’t been involved with Facebook for many years and he’s ignoring the massive investments we’ve made in new teams and technology to make our products safer.”

Twitter said it took action against accounts that threatened violence, adding: “We stand with journalists as they practise their profession.”

The claims come as Facebook battles internal divisions, with staff furious over its handling of Mr Trump’s “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” post. While Twitter hid the post and said it was glorifying violence, Facebook took no action. Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook chief executive, promised to review the policies that led to its decision to not moderate the message. According to a study by the New York

Times, Mr Trump called journalists the “enemy of the people” 36 times over two years on Twitter.