Author: Alexandra Trantos

Meta’s Decision to End Fact-Checking: A Pathway for Heightened False Information

Mark Zuckerburg has recently announced that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will eliminate third-party fact-checking organizations with a new system known as “community notes.” Prior to this change, fact-checkers were pivotal in evaluating and flagging false information, which in turn helped the platform limit that content’s reach.

Read More »

The Fall Of Assad: Syria’s Hope For A New Future

Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator whose family ruled over Syria for over half a century, has been ousted by rebel forces. Since then, the rebels have taken on positions of authority by freeing prisoners, guarding public buildings, and taking charge of the interim government. Assad has fled to Russia, an

Read More »

Escalating Sexual Violence in the DRC: The Urgent Need for International Cooperation and Support

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a non-governmental organization that uses medicine and science to advocate for health and justice in conflict regions, recently released a report detailing the significant increases in sexual violence being committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by governmental, military forces, rebel groups, community members,

Read More »

The Death Penalty: A Fundamentally Flawed Practice

On September 24th, the state of Missouri executed 55-year-old Marcellus Williams by lethal injection after more than two decades on death row. Civil rights advocates and lawmakers from across the U.S. have condemned the decisions of The Missouri Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court, and Missouri Governor Mike Parson for

Read More »

The Fight Against Gender Apartheid In Afghanistan

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, extreme restrictions on the rights of women and girls have been rigorously imposed. More recently, a new morality order enacted by the Taliban titled the “Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,” has further stripped women of their

Read More »

Gaza Resettlement and Rising Tensions

There are growing calls from Israel’s far right-wing Likud party advocating for the permanent occupation and resettlement of Gaza. Although the settlement of Gaza is not in Israel’s official policy, two senior far-right cabinet members and six members from his party have taken part in pro-settlement rallies in which they

Read More »

Disregarding Proportionality: A Barrier To Enhanced Israeli Security

A recent Israeli strike on the al-Aqsa Martyrs Governmental Hospital in central Gaza ignited a devastating fire, leaving four dead and 40 wounded. Many of the victims of this strike had been residing in tent encampments inside the hospital after being displaced from their homes due to the war. Graphic

Read More »

The Threatening Implications Of Donald Trump’s Anti-Immigration Rhetoric

During the most recent U.S. presidential debate, more than 67 million viewers watched as Donald Trump falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating dogs, cats, and other household pets. The unsubstantiated and racially charged statement, however, was already being advanced by right-wing individuals including Trump’s running mate

Read More »

Increased Settlements And Violence Heightens Tensions In The West Bank

Since the start of the war between Israel and Gaza on October 7th, 2023, there has been a rapid increase in the presence of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank. Although settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that

Read More »

The Growing Relationship Between Disinformation And Racist Ideologies

After the deadly stabbing of three young girls in Southport, England at the end of July, far-right and anti-immigrant riots quickly spread across Britain, with many violent demonstrators attempting to link the crime—without proof—to Muslim immigrants. From the first day of the riots, far-right individuals weaponized social media platforms, most

Read More »