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Reporters Without Borders sues X (www.voanews.com)
submitted 4 days ago by Joker@sh.itjust.works to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 88 points 4 days ago

The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders on Thursday announced that it is suing the social media company X, accusing it of spreading disinformation.

After Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, discovered that it was the target of a disinformation campaign this past summer, the Paris-based group filed 10 reports of policy violations with X, formerly known as Twitter.

Since none of the posts in question have been removed, RSF opted to sue the company in French courts “for its complicity in disseminating false information, misrepresentation and identity theft,” the group said in a statement.

[-] Ghoelian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Ok maybe a very stupid question but

The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders on Thursday announced

Isn't that gramatically incorrect? Shouldn't it be "The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders announced on Thursday"?

I see this kind of writing a lot in news articles so surely it's not actually wrong, but that's not how I was taught English writing.

[-] loppy@fedia.io 25 points 4 days ago

Idk if you're a native speaker or not, but as a native speaker of American English there is absolutely nothing wrong with this to me. You could put it in about 4 different places:

On Thursday the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders announced ____.

The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders on Thursday announced ____.

The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders announced on Thursday that ____.

The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders announced ____ on Thursday.

The first one typically has a comma after "Thursday". The second one you could offset "on Thursday" with commas. The third one is at best really awkward without a "that" or a question word (who, what, where, why, how) and you could offset "on Thursday" with commas; you can also drop the "on", in which case you can't use commas. The last one is possible but could be ambiguous (it could be that "on Thursday" is part of their announcement).

[-] Deebster@infosec.pub 16 points 4 days ago

It's a bit stilted and no-one would speak like that (at least without sounding pretentious), but it's not bad grammar.

Also, shame on the moron that downvoted you for asking a question.

[-] loppy@fedia.io 6 points 4 days ago

I really don't see why you would think this.

Sooooo, Carl, on Thursday, said that...

Completely normal thing I would expect to hear.

[-] essteeyou@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

Unnatural to me, that sounds.

[-] Deebster@infosec.pub 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

To be fair, you've added commas which makes it a parenthetical phrase. But yeah - people do speak like this in real life; technically, I should have said no-one speaks like this in non-impromptu speech without sounding stilted.

"Carl said on Thursday" is definitely more idiomatic (to my BrE ears, anyway) than "Carl on Thursday said".

[-] loppy@fedia.io 1 points 4 days ago

Yeah, I'll agree, without any pauses it's less natural and it's more of a "buying time to think" thing.

[-] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world -1 points 4 days ago

Yeah just depends what you're emphasizing. It could be that Thursday is particularly important so it gets moved up to the second piece of info delivered

[-] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 12 points 4 days ago

It's correct, as much as any English is correct, but not typically spoken naturally like that.

The press (newspapers) has an idiosyncratic grammar, probably born of maximising space in a newspaper column. Headlines are often grammatical nightmares, body copy less so.

One could think of it as a form of semantic compression.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

A good example of this is their insistence on using the comma, to mean "the", "of" or "and", leading to some bizarre headlines.

Midland, Baker, Roz, Mazda, convicted, fraud

Which despite the fact it just sounds like a list of random words, is in fact a valid sentence. Or at least it represents one.

[-] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 1 points 3 days ago

Though today we get:

Find out what these big four names were convicted of!

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Dialect variation. For me, saying “the car needs washed” sounds truly strange but millions and millions of people say it. You’re experiencing similar with this phrase.

[-] JWBananas@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

the car needs washed

Is there a name/term for this abomination? I've only ever heard one person speak in that form (omitting "to be"), and it has haunted me ever since.

[-] ValenThyme@reddthat.com 1 points 4 days ago

'chest of draws' was a weird one for me!

[-] loppy@fedia.io 1 points 4 days ago

I believe you, I had just never heard it was "wrong" and it's never stood out to me.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago

Funny enough I learned about it in a linguistics class from a professor out of Michigan. Never heard the concept before and I think a lot of people had their minds blown.

[-] ulterno@programming.dev -1 points 4 days ago

Had they just used some punctuation - "The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders on Thursday, announced", it would have made it easier to get. Even, "The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, on Thursday, announced" would be doable.

How do these feel?

[-] spacecadet@lemm.ee 6 points 4 days ago

I think they have to sue in French court, right? Couldn’t X just “Section 230” them to no end if they sue in America? Ironically, Trump wants to repeal 230 and claim Platforms are actually publishers, but I guess he wants to do that to silence his critics and no real concern for disinformation.

[-] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 days ago

They're suing in French court.

[-] LEVI@feddit.org 41 points 4 days ago

This is going to be good

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago

Trump will designate Reporters Without Borders a terrorist org, and terrorize their reporters using the state.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago

They aren’t in the United States. This lawsuit is in France.

[-] AmidFuror@fedia.io 11 points 4 days ago

They don't have borders, so eventually they will come to the US.

[-] jaybone@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

He can still deploy Seal Team.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

To go after a loose group of reporters from different countries?

[-] jaybone@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

I’m just pointing out how he could do the thing that person you originally replied to was suggesting. I’m not saying it makes sense or is reasonable.

[-] Deebster@infosec.pub 3 points 4 days ago

makes sense or is reasonable

That's getting less and less relevant every day.

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world -3 points 4 days ago

It's cute you think fascists care about borders, and that the US doesn't have a history of persecuting foreign political opposition.

What are you, 12?

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

It's cute how you made it personal for no reason.

[-] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 4 days ago

X, is that Musk's new fascist website?

[-] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 days ago

X marks the ~~spot~~ Nazi.

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 days ago

Xitter.

this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2024
465 points (98.9% liked)

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