March 22 conference brings together media literacy, journalists, public
By Gianna Cardarelli
With
misinformation and disinformation just a mouse click away as we scroll through
websites and social media, the importance of teaching people how to recognize
the truth from lies is paramount in developing informed citizens.
Monster Ztudio/ Shutterstock
On Tuesday, March 22, a mix of University of
Rhode Island media literacy experts, journalists, public information officers,
faculty, students and the public will explore how the higher education
community can team with the media and the public to limit disinformation in a
half-day conference hosted by URI’s Harrington School of Communication and Media. The
conference, which runs from 1 to 6 p.m., is free and open to the public.
“Misinformation and disinformation is not new but the use of social media, as well as how we tend to selectively consume information has increased,” said Ammina Kothari, Ph.D., director of the Harrington School. “We hope this event will create dialogue on campus, but also awareness.”
The conference, “How to be Media Literate Citizens: The Role of Researchers,
Journalists, and Students in the World of Heightened Disinformation, Conspiracy
Theories, and Hate,” will provide in-person sessions, a panel
discussion with communication and media professionals, and a virtual keynote
address from Craig Silverman, an author, award-winning journalist at BuzzFeed
News and recently ProPublica, and one of the leading experts on online
disinformation, fake news, and digital investigations.
The conference opens at 1 p.m. with in-person
events in the Hope Room of the Higgins Welcome Center, 45 Upper College Road,
Kingston Campus. Register here to participate in the in-person
events or to receive a link to view the virtual keynote address. In-person
attendees will be able to view the virtual keynote in the Hope Room.
Workshops will include:
- At 1 p.m., a
panel of communication and media professionals, including Justin Silverman,
executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition; Dan
McGowan, a reporter with The Boston Globe; and Joseph Wendelken, public
information officer with the R.I. Department of Health.
- At 2 p.m., a
showcase of research on misinformation by URI faculty and graduate
students.
- At 3:45 p.m., “Mind
over Media: A Propaganda and Misinformation Workshop,” a discussion led by
Ammina Kothari, journalism professor, researcher and director of the
Harrington School, and URI Professor of Communication Studies Renee Hobbs,
an internationally recognized authority on media literacy, and founder and
director of the Media Education Lab. Students, faculty and the public will
talk about interpretations of propaganda and disinformation in such areas
as business, politics, news, entertainment, and social media.
- In his 5 p.m. keynote
address, Craig Silverman will discuss “The Global Disinformation Trade,”
focusing on false and misleading information from the pandemic to the
Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the forces, factors, and people who
drive global misinformation.
Along with the Harrington School, the conference is sponsored by URI’s departments of journalism and political science, and the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies.