For our democratic system to work, our leaders, institutions, and citizens need to value facts and truthfulness. Recent years, however, have witnessed a steep decline in the public’s ability to separate fact from fiction. We’ve also learned the consequences can be deadly. The Levin Center is sponsoring a three-part series of panels to delve more deeply into how facts become established in the public mind and how truthfulness might be restored to our public discourse.

Our first two panels heard from scholars and former member of Congress. Our third panel will feature journalists, media professionals, and scholars discussing the role the media plays in shaping our understanding of facts.

Our media landscape has undergone drastic changes in recent years with a steady decline in local news outlets, a sharp rise in news consumption through social media channels, and an increased fragmentation in national news outlets. Our panelists will discuss how these changes affect our society’s understanding of facts and how the media landscape can hinder or help us on the path to pursuing factual consensus.

Panelists include:

Danny Hayes, Professor of Political Science, George Washington University & Author of "News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism and Political Engagement" ( Cambridge University Press, 2021)

Jiquanda Johnson, Founder and Publisher of Brown Media Impact Group; Founder & CEO of FlintBeat.com

Claudia Grisales, Congressional Correspondent at NPR's Washington Desk

Moderator:

Josh McCrain - Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Utah & 2022 Levin Center Oversight Fellow