Social media is not the only way conspiracy theories reach the public.
When I was young, one reliable place we could go when seeking accurate information was the public library. Thankfully, that still is the case but increasingly, low-quality books promoting far-right conspiracy theories, COVID disinformation, LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, and Holocaust denial are sneaking into libraries via the digital media service Hoopla, as disclosed in an important article in Vice.
Hoopla, which allows library users to check out ebooks from their personal devices, serves more than 3,000 library systems in over 8,500 public libraries across the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
It is one of the primary ways for libraries to ensure their users have access to digital content. But unfortunately, along with legitimate titles, all sorts of garbage is slipping through the cracks.
We know about this because an alert group of librarians in Massachusetts noticed a number of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitic books on Hoopla.
During the pandemic, ebook lending services like this one grew rapidly, of course. A company statement was not entirely encouraging. “We take seriously our role to help libraries provide their patrons with access to a broad variety of content and customize the collection that best fits the needs of their communities. We are working to refine our policies and create more tools that empower libraries to choose which titles they offer to their patrons.”
This all is happening at a time when librarians are already under fire for providing legitimate books explaining issues like critical race theory and sexual identity issues. The far right has co-opted the censorship controversy in red states with widespread book bans in places like Texas.
This places librarians in the middle of another fierce debate polarizing the deeply divided, conspiracy-riven culture that is our modern day reality in the U.S.
The News (42):
Ukraine holds Mariupol steel mill amid Russian ultimatum (USA Today)
Mariupol official warns of 'last days' as Russia demands Ukrainian troops surrender (Yahoo)
Despair in Mariupol’s last stronghold: ‘They’re bombing us with everything’ (NYT)
'We didn't have a choice': Ukrainians only way to flee Mariupol was through Russia (CNN)
Commander says forces in Mariupol may only have a few hours left (The Hill)
Mariupol may fall within days, European official says (Reuters)
Ukraine to open humanitarian corridor in Mariupol (Financial Times)
Russia’s Chernobyl seizure seen as nuclear risk ‘nightmare’ (AP)
More Cautious, Russia Embarks on New Phase of Ukraine War (NYT)
West sends Ukraine fighter jets, heavy weapons as fighting intensifies in Donbas (WP)
Wealthy Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov condemned what he called Moscow's "crazy war" in Ukraine, saying 90% of his countrymen did not support it and calling on the West to offer Vladimir Putin a dignified way to withdraw. (Reuters)
It's planting season in Ukraine, and that means problems for global food supply (NPR)
The U.S. Races to Arm Ukraine With Heavier, More Advanced Weaponry (NYT)
Howitzer ammo has arrived in Europe for Ukraine, senior US defense official says (CNN)
Ukraine war refugees top 5 million as assault intensifies (AP)
One body at a time, a Kyiv coroner documents Ukraine’s grim death toll (WP)
Ukraine’s War Efforts Gain an Unlikely Source of Funding: Memes (NYT)
Russia’s Isolation From the West Will Outlast the War (Atlantic)
Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha delivers an urgent message to U.S. audiences (NPR)
Kremlin spokesman: Russia gave Ukraine draft truce document (NHK)
Taiwan news channel accidentally airs false report of Chinese invasion (Guardian)
VIDEO: Explosions at Schools in Kabul Kill at Least 6 (AP, Reuters)
The End of Nature — The rise of greenhouse gases and our warming earth. (William McKibben / New Yorker, 1982)
Netflix shares slide after its loses 200,000 subscribers (CBS)
Moderna announces step toward updating COVID shots for fall (AP)
China internet censors scramble as lockdown frustration sparks ‘creative’ wave of dissent (Guardian)
Majority of Americans want masks for travelers: AP-NORC poll (AP)
China's commercial capital of Shanghai reported no new COVID-19 infections outside quarantine areas in two districts, fanning hopes that the tide is turning in its pandemic battle, as some factories began to return to work. (Reuters)
Shanghai allowed 4 million more people to leave their homes Wednesday as measures that shut down China’s biggest city eased, while the International Monetary Fund slashed its forecast of Chinese economic growth and warned the global flow of industrial goods might be disrupted. The ruling Communist Party's "zero COVID" strategy has forced major cities to shut down to isolate every case. [AP]
Religious clashes across India spark fears of further violence (WP)
Google and Meta impose social media curbs on Hong Kong’s sole leadership candidate (Financial Times)
In an international survey of people’s responses to the climate crisis and other pressing issues, the country with the highest percentage of people who say they’re not worried about climate change “at all” turned out to be the United States. Meanwhile, the climate crisis, which is very much real, is still ravaging the U.S. and other nations, bringing deadly — and worsening — droughts, fires, extreme heat, storms and floods. [HuffPost]
Fearing a Trump Repeat, Jan. 6 Panel Considers Changes to Insurrection Act (NYT)
After it was revealed that the San Francisco police used a sexual assault victim’s DNA against her in an unrelated case, city leaders on Tuesday unanimously voted to prohibit the police from storing DNA obtained from rape kits in city-run databases. (AP)
Marianne Faithfull: my stories of Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Metallica and more (Louder)
Ebook Services Are Bringing Unhinged Conspiracy Books into Public Libraries (Vice)
Should Couples Merge Their Finances? (Atlantic)
56% of Americans who died in 2020 were cremated, more than double what it was just two decades ago. (WP)
Company Culture Mostly Clapping (The Onion)
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