06 Jun 2023 | 9:50 am - 4:20 pm (GMT)
National Liberal Club, London
Bad News Travels Fast, Fake News Travels Faster
Conference on Disinformation: The Way Forward
Conference on Disinformation: The Way Forward
This conference aims to bring together experts from different fields, such as health, environment, and politics, to discuss problems caused by and ways that we can combat mis- and disinformation. Sessions are themed according to the problem, rather than subject area, so that experts from these different fields can share their points of view and, perhaps, even learn from each other’s experiences. The one exception to this rule afternoon is the afternoon discussion on the influence of misinformation on elections. Democracy affects all parts of life.
09:50 Arrival/Garther
Tea and biscuits
10:00 Welcoming Remarks
10:10 The State of Play – What is the status of mis and disinformation in 2023?
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10:40 Presentation of the new Research Paper
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11:15 What Happens When We Can’t Tell What’s Real?
Rapid technological advances allow computer scientists to fabricate reality—creating convincing photographs of people who do not exist; synthetic videos in which politicians appear to say things they never said; and doctored photos that are indistinguishable from the real thing. These technologies are being weaponised to chip away at public trust in democratic institutions and are about to complicate our social and political problems further. What happens when even the experts can’t tell what’s real?
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12:15 Education in a Time of Misinformation
Educators have a new, critical responsibility to ensure that their students are equipped with the knowledge and strategies that can guard them against the snake oil salesmen and the agents of duplicity that inhabit the internet. How can students develop competency that is enduring and that can be used independently of knowledge of the content of any specific subject? Without this, individuals are adrift at sea.
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13:00 Lunch – A Panelist at Every Table/standing lunch
14:00 Disinformation and the Subversion of Elections, is there hope for the Future?
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15:00 Who’s Responsibility is it to Fix the Problem?
How do mainstream news organisations discern disinformation from distortions, spin from propaganda, and liberties with language from outright lies? How do they communicate the difference transparently with news consumers and give clarity to that sorting process?
How can media companies establish trust and defend journalism against attacks of partisanship when engaged in calling balls and fouls—seeded decades ago and renewed with vigour in the modern era—and what role do those presenting the news play in preventing perceptions of bias and unfairness?
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16:10 End of the event