Welcome to Goto 10 for a discussion about strategies to save democracy in an age of fake news and post-truth.
Our democracies are at stake, as fake news, disinformation, and propaganda circulate the web. This statement has become a dominating narrative among political actors who claim that the very foundations of truth are shaken. As a response, many countries and institutions come up with various measures to counter the spread of fake news online.
During this panel discussion, we will discuss the very relationship between truth and democracy, and various strategies to counter the spread of fake news, disinformation, and propaganda in order to promote democracy.
Is truth really disappearing, and in what ways is this relevant to our democratic traditions, institutions, and debates? How are democratic institutions working today with these issues? What tools are currently available for us to understand online information or the origins of online content? Is our pursuit of the ultimate Truth - with a big T - perhaps obscuring another current crisis of democracy?
Our invited panelists will approach the subject from different angles based on their areas of expertise.
Panelists
Johan Farkas, PhD student in Media and Communication Studies at Malmö University, Sweden. Johans research engages with the intersection of digital media platforms, disinformation, politics, journalism, and democracy. His debut book, Post-Truth, Fake News and Democracy: Mapping the Politics of Falsehood (with Jannick Schou) presents a detailed analysis of contemporary discourses of fake news and post-truth, offering both a critique and call for more inclusive forms of democracy. Watch his earlier presentation at Goto 10 for more background information here.
Ida Lithell, Project Manager for the national campaign No Hate Speech Movement, which is run by the Swedish Media Council on behalf of the government. Ida has worked as a journalist for many years and her focus is now on how young people handle facts, threats and hatred in their everyday life on the internet.
Carl Heath, Vice President of Education at RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden and Special Counsel for the Protection of Democratic Dialogue – charged by the Swedish Government to lead a national mission to strengthen media- and information literacy in Sweden. At RISE, I lead our mission to be a leading actor in professional education.
Moderator
Isadora Hellegren, Project Lead at the Swedish Internet Foundation.
Your Data Your Democracy - Event Series
This event is part of Your Data Your Democracy (information about Din data och din demokrati is currently only available in Swedish), a series of events focusing on issues related to the internet, society, and democracy. Through these events, the Swedish Internet Foundation works to open up the conversation between different actors to shine light on these issues though multiple perspectives.
