Fake News, Silenced Voices: Truth and Democracy
This is a panel on technology and the pursuit of truth. Panelists cross the boundaries of old media and new media, technology and law, examining how a democratic society can find real and sustaining solutions to the problem of fake news, weaponization of toxic speech, and partisan information silos, all without concentrating power in the hands of a few or damaging free expression. Social media has dimished traditional gatekeepers. The panel explores key tasks undone by the transformation: finding consensus, uncovering truth and falsity, setting boundaries on power. Technology can make democracy vibrant; it can also be a breeding ground for information chaos, abuses of power, and silencing of necessary voices. Which future we get depends on a confluence of law, ethics, and technology. This presentation will be introduced by Becky Taylor.
Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.
![photo of David McCraw](/vite/assets/person-placeholder-edu-fS1N5G6a.png)
David McCraw
New York Times
Vivian Schiller
Aspen Digital