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We've been digging into the tricky problem of misinformation on social media this week, while Andrew Marr found himself in a sticky spot with Gaelic speakers this week when he came out with some choice words about their language at Labour conference...
Tackling disinformation
We told last week how the body representing Scotland’s librarians, CILIPS, said it was stepping back from Twitter/X due to “misinformation” and “harmful content”.
As this came in the same week that social media owners topped a list of the biggest perceived threats to a trustworthy online new environment in a report from the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE), we spoke to the IPIE’s co-founder Professor Philip Howard about growing fears around misinformation, where responsibility lies and how we can tackle it.
He said it was “concerning” social media firms don’t seem to be responding to calls for change.
The panel’s findings were based on responses from 412 researchers in a variety of fields primarily concentrated in the US and Western Europe, although other countries including China, India, Nigeria and Brazil were included.
Howard said: “I guess I was surprised at how consistently across the world, everyone is aware of the fact that these platforms for public conversation are owned by particular people with their own interests.”
But the University of Glasgow’s Dr Yvonne Skipper - who has herself come off of Twitter/X because it has become such a “toxic space” - said responsibility also lies with individuals to educate themselves.
She told the Sunday National: “It’s important that we as individuals upskill ourselves in terms of our own skills in spotting misinformation, being critical and not being part of the problem.
“We can’t click share without reading or doing some research but the platforms also have a responsibility for making sure they are safe spaces and aren’t causing these problems.”
Elsewhere, former first minister Humza Yousaf has insisted he won’t be “bullied off Twitter/X” by owner Elon Musk following a row between the pair.
Musk then subsequently described Yousaf as a “scumbag” and said he “dared” the former SNP leader to sue him.
But speaking to the Sunday National, Yousaf said: “I shouldn’t be bullied off it [Twitter] by the world’s wealthiest man by all accounts.
“There’s no reason why I should leave and in fact many think he (Musk) should be the one to go – he is the cheerleader-in-chief of spreading disinformation."
The clash between the pair dates back to October 2023, when Yousaf was still first minister, and Musk (above) branded the MSP a “blatant racist”.
He had reacted to a highly selective clip of Yousaf speaking when he was Scotland’s justice secretary which had originally been shared by an account called "End Wokeness".
Andrew Marr and Gaelic road signs
The broadcaster Andrew Marr had an interesting week in the spotlight after he said at Labour conference Gaelic road signs in some parts of Scotland were “offensive” and “ridiculous”.
During an event with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Marr hit out at the inclusion of Gaelic on road signs in parts of Scotland where he claimed the language was never spoken.
“I find it equally offensive that all sorts of parts of Scotland, which have never been Gaelic, have never had Scots spoken [have Gaelic signs]," he said.
"Why does Haymarket [station] have to have the Gaelic for Haymarket under it? It’s ridiculous.
"The Scots are made up of many different peoples historically.
“Many different groups of people have come to Scotland and they brought different languages and I think we should let languages rest and prosper where they come from.”
There was a furious reaction to Marr’s comments, with Minister for Gaelic Kate Forbes telling The National Gaelic speakers “deserve our respect” in response.
Forbes, who speaks the language herself, said that it is an important part of Scotland's identity adding: “If one of Scotland’s languages isn’t welcome here in Scotland, where will it be welcome?”
In the end, Marr apologised and admitted he was “completely wrong” for what he said.
"Sometimes when good friends take you kindly to one side and explain patiently why you are completely wrong, you have to accept that you are completely wrong,” he said on Twitter/X.
“I got overexcited and was wrong. Whatever is the Gaelic for sorry, that…"
