Events

Past Event

Lee McIntyre - Disinformation vs. Misinformation: The Real Enemy of Truth

December 7, 2022
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
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International Affairs Building (Room 1512), Columbia University, 420 West 118th Street, New York

Event Description

There is a lot of talk these days about how truth is threatened in this "age of misinformation." On topics ranging from science to democracy to foreign war, a staggering percentage of people seem to make up their minds on issues such as climate change, vaccines, the integrity of elections, and the war in Ukraine, based on "facts" that crumble after a little examination. Why? There's plenty of blame to go around -- from lack of critical thinking to social media to partisan media to politics, but the first thing we need to get straight on is the real threat we face: it's not from misinformation but disinformation. This talk will examine the critical difference between mis- and dis- information and strategies for understanding and countering it.

Event Speaker

Lee McIntyre, Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University

Event Information

Free and open to the public; no registration required. Hosted by the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.