Watch: ‘Disinformation in Local Elections: How to spot it and what you can do’
Our livestream is now over. Watch a replay in the video above.
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Resources
- Fact Sheet: How to spot disinformation
- Our Washington state Voter Guide
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America’s architects viewed the press as essential to our democracy, including it in the first article of our Bill of Rights.
And yet today we are faced with consistent attacks on credible news and information. Factual, accurate reporting is literally being replaced by Russian bots feeding us false information via our social media feeds.
But this is not what you’ll find in McClatchy’s four Washington news organizations. The News Tribune, The Olympian, The Bellingham Herald and Tri-City Herald are doing essential reporting around the clock, seven days a week. They’re reporting on how the coronavirus is impacting us by ZIP code and what school districts are doing to ensure equitable access to remote learning.
News organizations across the country are rooting out corruption in local government and forcing people in power to share information.
Local news has never been more important.
Join us for a live event exploring election disinformation at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 7.
We will share examples of it in Washington’s local elections and strategies for spotting it as you look to make the best possible decisions for your community in November. We will give you a roadmap for spotting false claims and help you learn how to set the record straight.
We will virtually bring together misinformation experts from academia and technology, including event partners Microsoft and University of Washington, local reporters and policymakers to discuss how we can navigate with confidence an election unlike any other.
Please join us. You can sign up here.
Thanks, as always, for your support of local news.
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What: Disinformation in Local Elections: How to spot it and what you can do
When: 12:30 p.m. Oct. 7
Where: This free event will livestream on thenewstribune.com, theolympian.com, bellinghamherald.com and tri-cityherald.com.
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Seth Weinberger is professor of politics and government at the University of Puget Sound. He received his B.A. (1993) in political philosophy from the University of Chicago, an M.A. (1995) in Security Studies from Georgetown University, and an M.A. (2000) and Ph.D. (2005) in political science from Duke University. He teaches courses on international relations, U.S. foreign policy, international security, terrorism, constitutional law, political philosophy, and conspiracy theories and fake news.
Kate Drazner Hoyt is an assistant professor at Pacific Lutheran University in the Communication Department. She holds an MFA in Emergent Digital Practices and a PhD in Communication Studies. Her research interests include how media technologies implicate social hierarchies and manifestations of power, digital forms of protest, and digital media and information literacy; and how digital citizens assess the credibility of web-circulated information.
Jevin West is an associate professor in the Information School at the University of Washington. He is the co-founder of the DataLab and the director of the new Center for an Informed Public at UW. His research and teaching focus on the impact of technology on science and society, with a focus on slowing the spread of misinformation. He is the co-author of the book, “Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World.”
Matt Misterek is the editorial page editor at The News Tribune (2016-present). He was previously a local news editor in the TNT newsroom (2003-2015) and at other papers in Washington and Oregon. He lives in Gig Harbor, grew up in Olympia and graduated from Pacific Lutheran University.
Matt Driscoll is a reporter and The News Tribune’s metro news columnist. A McClatchy President’s Award winner, Driscoll lives in Central Tacoma with his wife and three children. He’s passionate about the City of Destiny and strives to tell stories that might otherwise go untold.
Ashish Jaiman is the Director of Technology and Operations in the Customer Security and Trust organization at Microsoft, focusing on the Defending Democracy Program. Jaiman’s mission is to help customers to improve their security posture and defend against cyber-attacks. He is currently working on disinformation defense and deepfakes intervention strategy and its impact on society and democracy.
Moderator: Stephanie Pedersen
Editor & President of The News Tribune and Washington State Editor for McClatchy
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Watch: ‘Disinformation in Local Elections: How to spot it and what you can do’."