A moral panic is a widespread fear, most often an irrational one, that someone or something is a threat to the values, safety, and interests of a community or society at large. Typically, a moral panic is perpetuated by news media, fueled by politicians, and often results in the passage of new laws or policies that target the source of the panic. In this way, moral panic can foster increased social control.
Ashely Crossman’s definition of moral panic
Jeff Jarvis quoted above definition in his Atlantic essay:
Platforms Are Not Publishers
The essential value of the internet is conversation, not content—and journalists need to embrace it.
On the make community blog a discussion flared up which reminded me of discussions we had about 22 years ago around free speech and censorship and Nazis. And the start of ShoahProject.net. And who can and who can’t sponsor a WordCamp