Reddit turns down moderators who want action on Covid misinformation

Reddit, the sprawling social media site known for its community-guided ethos, rejected a plea from moderators of a pro-vaccine forum to do more to combat Covid-19 misinformation. Instead, Reddit doubled down on a well-worn "open forum" argument that has practically become a Silicon Valley cliche.

In a statement championing dissent as the "foundation of democracy," CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman declined to ban anti-vaccine communities on Reddit. "While we appreciate the sentiment of those demanding that we ban more communities that challenge consensus views on the pandemic, we continue to believe in the good of our communities and hope that we collectively approach the challenges of the pandemic with empathy, compassion, and a willingness to understand what others are going through, even when their viewpoint on the pandemic is different from yours," CEO Steve Huffman wrote on the site's official announcements page.