The recent article in NY Times about the self-identifying fascist Tony Hovater has caused extreme backlash among American liberals including half my Twitter feed. Where I live, Hovater's views would see him in jail, but this post isn't about that.

Nobody is questioning whether the article is accurate or whether it's written to the highest journalistic standards. So I guess the position the readers are expressing is that truth must not be reported if it causes harm to society. And in their view, portraying fascists as anything but monsters through and through humanizes them and lessens the need to fight against extreme nationalism. Some go as far as saying that the journalist painted a rosy portrait of a family who want to wipe out other races, although this accusation isn't supported by the article.

I don't agree that trying to understand the enemy is harmful to the fight. I also don't support suppressing the truth for any reason except it causing direct and immediate harm to human beings, and I don't believe this is the case here. Shushing the media is a slippery slope, and it is far too easy for censorship to be abused.