Dealing with 'hate speech' and 'hate spin

Hate speech has been with us since the beginning of time.

- FLORANGEL ROSARIO BRAID

It is shown in malicious distortions rooted in religious and ethic settings. It promotes division by amplifying disparities and fostering a perception of “us vs. them” according to Dr. Cherian George, professor of Hong Kong Baptist University and recipient of the 2024 AMIC Asia Communication Award.

At the webinar series held last month hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Letters and Literature of the University of Santo Tomas, George noted that academics and journalists have not responded adequately to hate speech challenges as they are operating in an inadequate mental model. “If we cannot picture the problem in its full complexity, there is little chance of dealing with it properly. It is about time to adopt a paradigm shift on how we report hate speech, and that we shift analysis by raising questions such as “What is the process? How is hate speech cultivated? How does speech turn harmful? How can it be countered? How do we detect hate speech? How much outrage is it causing? Should it be blocked?”