Author: Anita Sthankiya

Comedian Aziz Ansari was unwittingly thrusted into the spotlight last month, and it wasn’t because of his onscreen work. In January, feminist online website Babe.com published a report detailing an encounter between a 23-year-old woman and Ansari. In part one of this two-part series we looked at the lack of journalistic integrity reflected in that article and why it was heavily criticized by reputable sources, such as The Washington Post and New York Times.

In this edition, we will discuss how the story could have been told through a decentralized lens and if it would have been published as a result.

The Decentralized News Network (DNN) prides itself on providing a news platform that comes from a decentralized network. With factual content curated by the community, DNN strives to produce news that is balanced and thoroughly accurate, while using incentivization.

The Decentralized News Network is censorship-resistant.

By utilizing the power of the ethereum blockchain, DNN can never be hacked into, taken down, or censored. Since the platform is censorship-resistant, content cannot be suppressed. Unlike traditional media, DNN relies on a consensus of content reviewers, rather than a central authority to determine what should be published.

Based on DNN’s core values, let’s put the Babe article up to the test and see if it would have been published on this decentralized platform.

Once an article is submitted from a writer on DNN it will go through an extensive review process, which allows for fact-checkers to validate the content for overall accuracy and legitimacy. This process means writers cannot push for their article to be fast-tracked and made a priority. The piece must go through the process like any other submitted article with no bias or intention attached.

In order for the article to stand up to the vetting process, reviewers must adhere to guidelines and content policies before it can be published. This process may entail a bit of back-and-forth between reviewers and writers, while reviewers ask for sources and additional information to back-up their claims.

While DNN doesn’t have a requirement for how many sources an article needs, the article still needs to be deemed neutral in order to be published. With that being said, it can be difficult to be 100 percent neutral, but if an article contains opposing sources, it should include equal time for each position. Based on what was submitted in the Babe article, it would have been rejected for the DNN guidelines. Unless Ansari had offered a statement, the article would have been considered bias and one-sided. A third source would have also been helpful, to legally determine if the encounter did in fact constitute as criminal sexual assault or not. By consulting this third source, it would provide the reader with a balanced opinion of what occurred. Journalism is very rarely black and white, and often it is up to the editorial team to find solutions for setbacks and difficulties that can arise from stories such as this one.