Since the 2016 US election, alternative facts, fake news and highly emotive communication have become a weapon for those seeking to advance their own agenda or avoid public scrutiny.
With trust in major institutions diminishing and rising skepticism about the accuracy of media reporting, many are looking to partisan news outlets and social media echo chambers to fill the information void. Facts and data are rapidly being eclipsed by opinion and personal experience.
At this online event, we will discuss the nature of “the truth” in an information economy shaped by partisanship, polarization and cognitive bias.
Speakers Peter Ellerton, Gerry McCusker, and Adrian Cropley will explore whether the rise of fake news is an inevitable byproduct of our viral culture or if it is symptomatic of a more insidious problem: “truth decay” and the diminishing role of analysis in public life.
Please direct any questions about this event to philipa.duthie@thersa.org.
Joining instructions will be sent to attendees upon registration.
About Public events
Conferences, symposia, and other public events on critical thinking and critical thinking pedagogy.