Thread by @RobBurl

1) There is, understandably, a strong reaction to us interviewing Ben Shapiro on today's #politicslive. We do so because he has millions of followers on social media and is hugely influential, particularly among young people worldwide. We could ignore that or. . .

2) . .we can do our job and challenge with tough questions put by @afneil. Shapiro is actually "platformed" when he speaks, unchallenged, to 5.2million on Facebook, 2.1m on Twitter and 1.5m on Instagram. If you are worried about this you should watch this very tough interview.

@afneil 3)In March 2019, Shapiro's podcast was the 2nd most listened to in the US, he has written a bestselling book and has a huge number of YouTube followers and views. These are all platforms where he puts ideas out there unchallenged. An interview with @afneil is quite different.

4) He is not being normalised in this interview but challenged for views many regard as disturbing and extreme. These views are getting into the phones and computers of millions. Too many, we think, to ignore. So we asked @afneil to interview him. Please watch the interview.