The Charlottesville Area League of Women Voters and the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP are co-hosting a free event for the public on September 29th from 2:30-4:30pm at the Jefferson Madison Regional Central Library (201 East Market Street, Charlottesville). Doors open at 2:00pm.
"FACT, FICTION OR SOMETHING IN-BETWEEN: NAVIGATING MISINFORMATION IN ELECTIONS" will present information on media, its role during elections, and what is meant by disinformation, misinformation, and fake news. With U.S. Presidential, Senate, and House of Representative elections weeks away, voters are being bombarded with political ads, social media posts, phone calls, and other means aimed at influencing how they vote or their decision to vote at all. Some information conveyed is misleading or untruthful.
CJ Oswald, a doctoral candidate at UVA's Corcoran School of Philosophy, will share what he has learned by teaching and researching media literacy. He takes a unique approach to identifying fake news that is sure to be fascinating and helpful to voting citizens.
Jessie Higgins, Managing Editor at Charlottesville Tomorrow, will share information about its Voter Guide, and how the work they do grounds people in reality. In her time as a journalist, she has seen that in many places, especially rural ones, misinformation comes from a dearth of reliable information. That dearth is what Charlottesville Tomorrow is working to fill.
Attendees will learn how to identify, make sense of, and stop the spread of false information.
