Ocasio-Cortez: Congress looking into ways to rein in ‘disinformation’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday took part in an Instagram Live Q&A during which she said Congress was looking into media literacy initiatives following the deadly Capitol attack on Wednesday that was fueled by misinformation.

“I do think that several members of Congress and some of my discussions have brought up media literacy because that is a part of what happened here,” Ocasio-Cortez said during the event.

“And we’re going to have to figure out how we rein in our media environment so that you can’t just spew disinformation and misinformation. It’s one thing to have differing opinions, but it’s another thing entirely to just say things that are false.”

Ocasio-Cortez makes the statement around 53:30 of her Instagram video.

Social media giants like Twitter and Facebook have long been targeted by critics who say they have not done enough to stamp out misinformation online. These companies have often erred on the side of restraint, saying it was not their place to determine what people are allowed to say.

In recent years, however, tech companies have begun taking action to deter the spread of unverified information. Twitter in 2020 introduced new labels and warnings placed on tweets that were found to contain misleading information.

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have banned President Trump’s accounts on their platforms following the attacks, expressing concern that he may incite another round of violence.

Ocasio-Cortez also talked about how she was doing since the attack, saying that she has been trying to rest as much as possible since the Capitol breach. She also stated she would likely seek counseling soon.

“I’m sure I’m going to talk to somebody and just, you know, seek and discuss with a counselor, just to make sure that we can get started on that path on the right step,” said the congresswoman. “And I’m not ashamed to say that, because I think we should all — nobody should be ashamed to say that.”

Ocasio-Cortez stated during the Instagram Live video that she believed she was going to die during the Capitol riot.

“I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Not just in a general sense, but in a very, very specific sense.”

She did not share details of the encounter, citing security concerns.