Paul M. Barrett
Paul Barrett is the deputy director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He joined the Center in September 2017 after working for more than three decades as a journalist and author focusing on the intersection of business, law, and society. Most recently, he worked for 12 years for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, where he served at various times as the editor of an award-winning investigative team and a writer covering topics such as energy and the environment, military procurement, and the civilian firearm industry. From 1986 to 2005, he wrote for The Wall Street Journal, serving as the newspaper’s Supreme Court corespondent and later as the page one special projects editor. Paul is the author of four critically acclaimed nonfiction books, the most recent of which are GLOCK: The Rise of America’s Gun, a New York Times Bestseller, and THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE: The $19 Billion Legal Battle Over Oil in the Rain Forest and the Lawyer Who’d Stop at Nothing to Win. At the Center for Business and Human Rights, Paul has focused primarily on researching and writing a series of reports on the role and obligations of the social media industry in a democracy. Specific topics have included the problems of foreign and domestic disinformation, the consequences of outsourced content moderation, the debate over the liability of social media platforms for harmful content, the role of social media companies in intensifying political polarization in the U.S., and how Congress could enhance the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer protection authority to regulate social media companies. Since 2008, Paul has served as an adjunct professor at the NYU School of Law. Each spring, he co-teaches a seminar called “Law, Economics, and Journalism,” in which students learn to analyze controversial social issues with the tools of those three professions. Paul has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an A.B. from Harvard College.
Publications
Digital Risks to the 2024 Elections: Safeguarding Democracy in the Era of Disinformation
A new report by Paul M. Barrett, Justin Hendrix and Cecely Richard-Carvajal highlights that this year's primary tech-related threat to elections isn't AI-generated content, but the spread of false, hateful, and violent content on social media platforms.
Safeguarding AI: Addressing the Risks of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Our report on safeguarding AI argues that the best way to prepare for potential existential risks in the future is to begin now to regulate the AI harms right in front of us.
Spreading The Big Lie: How Social Media Sites Have Amplified False Claims of U.S. Election Fraud
Our report explains how the major platforms are fueling distrust of elections and recommends reforms such as enhanced fact-checking and outside auditing.
A Platform ‘Weaponized’: How YouTube Spreads Harmful Content – And What Can Be Done About It,
Our report explains how the major platforms are fueling distrust of elections and recommends reforms such as enhanced fact-checking and outside auditing.
Enhancing the FTC’s Consumer Protection Authority to Regulate Social Media Companies
This white paper explains why the government needs to oversee platforms like Facebook and Twitter as a way to reduce misinformation, hate speech, and other forms of harmful content.
Quick Takes
