Brickbat: Regulated Reliability

The German government is considering a new law that would require social media platforms to give greater visibility to content from news organizations that government regulators classify as "reliable" or serving the "public value." According to a leaked planning document, government officials would decide which outlets qualify, and platforms could even be required to meet quotas for how much approved content appears in users' feeds. Supporters argue the idea would help counter misinformation and promote trustworthy news, while critics worry it would give politically connected regulators too much influence over what information people see online and could disadvantage independent or dissenting media outlets.