Misinformation and “fake news” were the main topics during the “Disinformation, Fake News and the Role of Technology Companies” event Wednesday night in the Student Union Theatre.
Roughly 250 students gathered to watch four panelists discuss the different ways in which technology influences politics and everyday lives.
Dan Moshavi, college of business dean, opened the panel up by introducing Jonathan Reiber, a former Department of Defense speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and technology journalist Mike Albertson. From SJSU, associate librarian Ann Agee and philosophy professor Etienne Brown also sat on the panel.
Mediated by Ash Padwal, Chief Risk Officer of Allied Telesis, each member of the panel had an opportunity to define both disinformation and fake news.
“Fake news is a subset of disinformation,” Brown said. “Disinformation is false information intentionally created by people who do not intend to inform the public.”
Albertson disagreed with Brown’s idea, saying that disinformation is “a more organized campaign” as opposed to fake news.
As the conversation went on, the panelists used their knowledge from their respective fields to teach students how to be sure the news they consume is accurate and fairly reported.
Referring to the tendency of some news organizations and tabloids to fabricate stories with the intent to boost readership and profit, Agee said media literacy can be as simple as judging the facts presented in a story based on how outlandish they are.
“False information isn’t bounded by reality, it isn’t bounded by facts,” she said. “Who doesn’t love a good story?”
Reiber added to Agee’s point, suggesting that people should always look to credible news organizations, rather than social media for their news citing The New York Times and The Washington Post as having the best reputation.
“Social media is largely responsible for the spread of disinformation,” Reiber said.
A few students stepped up to the microphone to add to the discussion during the question and answer portion of the panel.
Philosophy graduate student Baltazar Lopez asked how information about media literacy can be disseminated to people who are older or do not have a college education.
“This information is often hyper-intellectualized to the point where [non-college students and graduates] can’t understand it,” he said. “How do we get it out to them?”
“Vote for politicians that help educate the population,” Reiber concluded. “That’s one thing you can do.”
