USD Conversations: The Impact of Misinformation on American Democracy, Past and Present

Location

Virtual Event

Free

Join our expert panel as we examine the impact of fake news, misinformation and conspiracy theories on American democracy, past and present. Panel historians will look at instances of these phenomena to help us understand the challenges they present to our democracy both historically and today and what remedies we might pursue. Experts on child trafficking will contribute their expertise on how a specific conspiracy theory – like QAnon – is hijacking legitimate conversations in this critical policy area. Noted local journalists look at the impact of misinformation on the role of the media in American democracy.

The timing of this discussion, so close to the election, presents our audience with a critical moment to assess the state of American democracy and what we can do to stop curtail information from eroding the foundations of rational democratic political participation.

Welcome and Introductions: Noelle Norton, PhD | Dean, USD College of Arts and Sciences

Panel Moderator:  Caroline Klibanoff | Program Manager, Made By Us, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Panelists: 

Stephanie Arduini | Deputy Director, American Civil War Museum

Ami Carpenter, PhD | Associate Professor, USD Kroc School of Peace Studies

Matt Hall | Editorial and Opinion Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Louise Mirrer, PhD | President and CEO, New-York Historical Society

Shea Rhodes, Esq. | Director and Co-Founder, Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE Institute) at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law

Natalie Walsh | Executive Producer, KPBS News

This panel is a continuation of the discussion from ICCE’s Restoring Respect's Ninth Annual Conference on Restoring Civility to Civic Dialogue, #ActsOfCivility: A Conversation With Cindy McCain.   

Suggested Reading:

• How Conspiracy Theories Are Shaping the 2020 Election—and Shaking the Foundation of American Democracy
• The difference is QAnon: how a conspiratorial hate campaign upended California politics