The sinister meme that appeared just hours before the attack on Helen Haines
Social media vitriol is a strange amalgam of public and personalised. It is posted for all to see, but it is deeply silo-ed, which is to say that I don’t know what’s happening in your feed, and you don’t know what’s happening in mine.
Independent MP Helen Haines was allegedly run down in a deliberate attack on Monday afternoon. The incident occurred at approximately 4pm on Murphy Street in Wangaratta, near Haines' electorate office. Barber Ricky Jefferies, who was working in an adjacent shop, intervened by grabbing and holding the driver of the vehicle. Jefferies stated he had no choice but to take the man out of the car because it was the safest thing to do, noting that many people rushed to help despite the danger. The Australian prime minister has described Jefferies as a hero.
The Australian political class has been blamed by The Guardian Australia for the vituperative tenor of public discourse that has trailed the political violence seen in America. The attack has led to calls for a turning point in political discourse, though Crikey reports that evidence suggests fragmentation may continue. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age describe social media vitriol as a siloed amalgam of public and personalised content.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Guardian Australia, Crikey, The Guardian — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
