Is Media Ruining America? Media Disinformation Workshops

The League of Women Voters of Jefferson County is partnering with Jefferson County Public Library to offer a series of workshops on media mis/disinformation and how media is polarizing the country. We're using the book True or False, A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News, by Cindy L Otis. as the basis for the workshops and bringing in additional resources as needed, and we're modeling the workshops on the Great Decisions format.

The workshops are structured to provide presentations and encourage audience participation through planned exercises and discussion. We will make the book available through the libraries and encourage folks to read it, but participants won't have to have read it to participate in - and benefit from - the workshops.

· Week One: How we got here, covering the evolution of media and the recent changes brought by deregulation, the rise of cable news, talk radio, the Internet, social media, the use of algorithms, the decline in print/broadcast/local media and the proliferation of digital media channels.

· Week Two: How to recognize and combat biases on a personal level and in the media. 

· Week Three: How to spot (and avoid) "fake news" and begin to bridge the political divide.

· Week Four: The dangers of AI and how to address them.

· Week Five: A panel discussion with local experts to address trends in media, the decline in local news, the dangers of media information and strategies to address them.

Panelists include:

·  Dr Phillip Chen, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver

·  Chris Jennings, Ed.D, Chair and Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Production at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

·  Dr. Angelica Kalika, PhD, Teaching Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder

·  Dennis Ryerson, retired journalist and former editor of The Indianapolis Star

·  Bob Steele, retired journalism professor and expert in journalistic ethics.