From climate change to a global pandemic and even a presidential election, a tradition of national trust in expertise and authority has been pushed aside in the United States, in favor of random personal opinions, rumors, and even conspiracy theories perpetuated on social media. But if an educated populace is essential for democracy to function effectively, how might we address the surging confusion and cynicism among the general public? How can we mitigate the problem of false equivalencies that have invaded dialogues on scientific, technical, political, and social issues? What is the impact on Free Speech as we know and practice it?
This online conversation will feature a social psychologist who studies human misbelief and disbelief; a political psychologist who examines the cognitive processes underlying democracy and dictatorship; a scholar of political communication who investigates the intersection of news media, underserved and historically excluded communities, and social justice efforts; and a senior research scientist who investigates what drives belief in inaccurate information. The moderator will be Sanford J. Ungar, director of Georgetown University’s Free Speech Project.
PANELISTS
- Danielle K. Brown is the John & Elizabeth Bates Cowles Professor of Journalism, Diversity and Equality in the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
- David Dunning is a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan focusing on the phenomenon of human misbelief.
- Fathali M. Moghaddam, a professor of psychology at Georgetown University, edits the Cambridge University Press series on Progressive Psychology.
- Briony Swire-Thompson directs the Psychology of Misinformation Lab at Northeastern University in Boston.
REGISTER HERE.