Media Literacy Panel Aims to Combat ‘Fake News’

Since the 2016 presidential election, fake news has become a part of the dialogue in the United States’ political and social culture. An upcoming panel event at Duquesne aims to educate the public on how to identify valid news sources and spot misinformation.

Sponsored by the Duquesne chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Media Literacy and Battling Fake News will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in Room 105 of College Hall.

With articles and stories so readily available on smartphones and social media, how do consumers of information arm themselves against fake news? According to Dr. Pamela E. Walck, assistant professor of multiplatform journalism, battling fake news starts with increasing media literacy.

“Discussions about fake news and fact-checking can help us better educate our families and friends to not be fooled by ‘news’ propagated on social media,” said Walck, who is also the event organizer. “It’s exciting to host this event because it really positions the Media Department as a leader in the dialogue surrounding media literacy.”

Panelists for the event are Joshua Gillin, staff member at the Tampa Bay Times since 2006, including a four-year stint as a reporter with the newspaper’s affiliate, PolitiFact Florida, a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims from officials and politicians; and Mila Sanina, executive editor of Public Source PA, a Pittsburgh-based media outlet that conducts outreach events at local libraries about fact-checking and misinformation. The moderator will be Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Julian Routh, a 2016 graduate of Duquesne’s Media Department.

The panel is free and open to the public. A Q&A session will follow presentations by the panelists.

For more information, email Walck at walckp@duq.edu.