Social Media
Date Range
Score Range
New York Post (Safe / Threatened) : California governor candidate Tom Steyer launches ‘predatory tactic’ to harvest voters — only costing $10
social media portrayed as a vulnerable space being exploited for political manipulation
The article frames social media platforms as being weaponized through stealth influencer campaigns, suggesting a loss of authenticity and safety in digital political discourse.
“If it looks like a robot made it… don’t use it,” the instruction memo reads. “Keep your bio casual, relatable, and on-theme for the campaign, but do NOT mention Tom Steyer directly — this helps avoid the account looking like a bot starting out.”
The Guardian (Beneficial / Harmful) : Missouri man charged for posting bomb-making tutorials that aided New Orleans attack
Social media is portrayed as a dangerous vector for spreading extremist knowledge
The article frames Derrick’s social media activity as directly enabling terrorism, reinforcing a narrative of online platforms as harmful when unregulated. No counterpoint about free expression or technical education is included.
“Derrick’s social media accounts provided step-by-step instructions that Jabbar downloaded to construct those explosives.”
New York Post (Beneficial / Harmful) : Neo-Nazi cult leader ‘Commander Butcher’ gets 15 years for online calls to violence that led …
Social media and online platforms are framed as dangerous enablers of radicalization
The article uses metaphors like 'honey pot' and 'swamp' to depict the internet as a corrupting force, emphasizing its role in radicalizing vulnerable youth without balancing discussion of platform regulation or user agency.
“The internet was dragging me down like a swamp. It was a honey pot.”
New York Post (Beneficial / Harmful) : Files' and 'The Simpsons' 'predicted' the hantavirus outbreak
Social media portrayed as a vector for spreading unfounded viral theories
Anonymous social media users are cited as primary sources without credibility assessment, reinforcing the idea that platforms amplify baseless speculation over facts.
““X-Files called the Hantavirus 20 years ago,” one user wrote on X.”
Daily Mail (Trustworthy / Corrupt) : The dangerous lies peddled by nourishherbody: He's the 'scientist' watched by millions and paid thousands …
Social media is framed as a platform enabling deceptive and harmful content
The article highlights how Preuss maintains multiple resilient accounts across languages, suggesting social media platforms allow misinformation to persist and evade moderation.
“Meanwhile, his social media infrastructure appears unusually resilient. Three separate accounts, in English, Spanish and German, circulate near-identical content to different audiences.”
NBC News (Safe / Threatened) : Man arrested for of making terroristic threats against 20 Pennsylvania elected officials
Framing social media as a platform enabling dangerous threats and radicalization
[comprehensive_sourcing] links investigation to X accounts and digital traces, emphasizing role of platform in facilitating and exposing threats
“search warrants were issued for two of Berryhill’s X accounts on May 1, 2026, and that through the investigation, officials were able to link the threatening posts back to him through emails, phone records and an IP address.”
Irish Times (Legitimate / Illegitimate) : Committee stops short of under-16 social media ban but wants end to ‘harmful’ algorithms
Current social media design practices are framed as illegitimate and in need of regulatory correction
[balanced_reporting]: The recommendation to ban infinite-scroll, auto-play, and watch-time optimization implies these features are inherently exploitative and lack legitimacy, even if not directly condemned by the journalist.
“The committee recommends a ban on infinite-scroll and continuous-feed design and a ban or limiting of auto-play video features.”
Irish Times (Safe / Threatened) : Committee stops short of under-16 social media ban but wants end to ‘harmful’ algorithms
Social media is framed as a threat to children's safety due to harmful design features
[proper_attribution] and [balanced_reporting]: The article attributes the term 'harmful' algorithms to stakeholders, but the repeated emphasis on 'harmful' content, infinite-scrolling, and algorithmic optimization for watch time frames social media as inherently dangerous for minors.
““harmful” social media recommender algorithms”
New York Post (Beneficial / Harmful) : Missouri man arrested after New Orleans terrorist allegedly used his bomb-making tutorials to carry out …
Social media is framed as a harmful conduit for radicalization and violence
The platform is portrayed as a vector for dangerous content, with no discussion of moderation efforts or broader content ecosystem.
“filming and posting a slew of videos on social media that show him making explosive materials”
The New York Times (Beneficial / Harmful) : Your School District Is Probably Scoring Worse Than 10 Years Ago
Digital devices and online culture framed as harmful to student focus and reading
The article associates rising screen time with declining academic performance, quoting educators on reduced attention spans and less reading for fun, framing technology as a key driver of educational decline.
“Far more teenagers — nearly one in three — now say they “never or hardly ever” read for fun.”