Social media has long been the Wild West of irresponsible behaviour – and Rebreak News is the epitome of the gunslinger who rides into town all guns blazing and careless as to who gets caught in the crossfire.

There are limits to tolerance of freedom of expression in any society and they’ve been reached by the irresponsible individuals operating Rebreak.

Now it’s time for the sheriff to restore order and bring the bad guys down.

The site is a danger and a menace to public safety and the relevant authorities need to wake up to this.

Mayhem and madness are the site’s bread and butter, which is a recipe for potential disaster.

And those who supply clips of the many nasty incidents which the site then shamelessly exploits on various social media platforms should hang their heads in shame.

‘Unsavoury and unhinged’

Rebreak has gained notoriety and, as The Courier reported this week, has been accused of exploiting vulnerable people and idolising chaotic behaviour.

Freedom of expression is a vital component in any society but it’s not a licence for the unsavoury and the unhinged to distort and display out of context and dangerous material.

That is what this site – posing as a serious ‘news’ outfit – is doing.

In a modern world, anyone with a mobile phone may think they’re a journalist or a reporter but there’s much more to relaying a story than just pointing a device and letting mayhem ensue from the half tales and incomplete facts captured and then disseminated to the gullible and the gormless.

I’m in favour of freedom of expression but it comes with duties and responsibilities, the kind the people behind this site do not give a second thought to.

Serious reporting and journalism must be accompanied by an appreciation of the dangers of unfiltered comment and skewed information.

Context in telling stories is vital if the truth of a tale or an event is to be relayed.

That’s one of the reasons why the Rebreak site is so dangerous – because half-truths and short clips from a cowboy site masquerading as a news outlet can have serious consequences.

‘Distorted picture of Dundee’

There are enough fools in the world whose blood is easily stirred into potentially dangerous actions by stories, reports or footage which only tells part of a picture.

And that’s before we even mention the other unsavoury issues linked to the site, like breaches of anonymity and exploitation of vulnerable folk, including children.

It’s bad enough that Rebreak paints a distorted and grim picture of Dundee by concentrating on the most unappealing and nasty snapshots and clips of violence and mayhem which it can find.

But even worse is the damage caused to innocent parties transformed into unwitting victims on social media by camera-wielding idiots without conscience or care.

Rebreak has nothing to do with freedom of expression or openness and everything to do with exploitation and menacing content.

Let’s hope they are soon run out of town.

© The Courier