Can democracy survive the rise of misinformation?

09/15/20 • 31 min

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Today, a core element of American democracy — access to reliable information — is threatened. How did this happen? And how can American democracy survive the impact of misinformation? Our guest is Brendan Nyhan. He is a contributor to The Upshot at the New York Times and a co-founder at Bright Line Watch, a group that monitors the status of American democracy. He is a professor of government at Dartmouth College.
Is that a fact? is brought to you by the nonpartisan, non-profit News Literacy Project. In each episode of this 10-part series, we’ll bring in an expert to discuss an aspect of our current information environment that is threatening the promise of American democracy. We’ll also ask our experts to share some solutions, so you can become a more informed voter.
For more information about the News Literacy Project, go to newslit.org.
Relevant interviews and links:

The Dartmouth, 2/5/2020 Discussing coverage of Trump’s impeachment trials
Albright Institute at Wellesley College, 01/11/2018 Talk titled: Why Facts and Science Don’t Always Change People’s Minds
NHPR 5/24/2017 Talking about political misinformation and "fake news" post-Trump
WNYC, 7/20/2017 Interview about the backfire effect on WNYC’s On The Media
The Communications Network (no date) Talking about research on misinformation

Additional credit: Zoe Denckla provided research assistance and Miranda Shafer provided production assistance.

The Dartmouth, 2/5/2020 Discussing coverage of Trump’s impeachment trials
Albright Institute at Wellesley College, 01/11/2018 Talk titled: Why Facts and Science Don’t Always Change People’s Minds
NHPR 5/24/2017 Talking about political misinformation and "fake news" post-Trump
WNYC, 7/20/2017 Interview about the backfire effect on WNYC’s On The Media
The Communications Network (no date) Talking about research on misinformation

Additional credit: Zoe Denckla provided research assistance and Miranda Shafer provided production assistance.

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$undefined - How can the press serve our fractured country?$

How can the press serve our fractured country?

Michael Luo is the editor of the newyorker.com. We spoke to him about a piece he wrote on The Hutchins Commission which was formed during World War II to decide how the press could serve democracy during a period of intense political strife and distrust in the media. At the time tribalism was fueling division in the country, and the press was seen as further sowing discord. The piece was written for The New Yorker’s series on “The Future of Democracy” We spoke about the role of journalism in American democracy, the need for viewpoint diversity in media, and the future of media.

This is episode two of our ten-part series, Is that a fact? In each episode we’ll bring in an expert to discuss an aspect of our current information environment that is threatening the promise of American democracy. Visit our website for more information and find additional links on our guests.
Additional credit: Zoe Denckla provided research assistance and Miranda Shafer provided production assistance.

Is that a fact? is a production of the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Our host is Darragh Worland, our producer is Mike Webb, our editor is Timothy Kramer, and our theme music is by Eryn Busch.