LWVMC Public Issues Forum
Truth, Trust and Democracy
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Alverno College - Christopher Hall, Wehr Auditorium
A healthy democracy requires an informed citizenry. A society that values free speech must be up to the daunting task of sifting through a bombardment of messages to find fact-based reporting.
The panel discussed the challenges facing readers and viewers who seek truthful and accurate reporting in today's news and social media landscape, where opinion is sometimes mistaken for fact and sources can be hard to identify.
We explored these issues and got expert advice on how to be more savvy consumers of news and better-informed voters – all for the good of our democracy.
Our distinguished panel:
Young Mie Kim
Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and and a faculty affiliate of the Department of Political Science, UW-Madison
Young Mie spoke on “the dark side of social media: dark money, dark sources, and disinformation.”
Amy Waldman
Librarian at Mill Road Library and journalist
Amy spoke about navigating the media landscape to find credible sources.
Amy Shapiro
Director of the Philosophy Department at Alverno College and co-director of the Alverno College Women’s and Gender Studies Program
Amy spoke about how to be discerning critical thinkers in distinguishing opinion from fact.
Ashley Luthern
Reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, currently researching gun violence as part of a Marquette University O'Brien Fellowship in Public Service
Ashley spoke about the importance of research, facts and fact-checking in investigative journalism and also consider the future of in-depth investigative reporting.
Jon Meacham
Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and author of the best-selling book, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels
Jon spoke on the role of journalism in polarized eras of American history via a pre-recorded audio interview conducted exclusively for this forum.
Bonnie North
WUWM's Lake Effect co-host and producer. Bonnie moderated the Truth, Trust and Democracy forum.
This free public forum is presented by the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, cosponsored by WUWM 89.7 Milwaukee Public Radio and by the
Alverno College Women's and Gender Studies Program. Partially funded by a grant from UW-Stout's Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovations.