Transitions co-founder, Jeremy Druker, visited communication students on August 27, to host a seminar on the importance of differentiating between disinformation and propaganda.
He shared experiences from his time living in Central Europe and expressed his disdain for “fake news.”
Druker went into detail about many of the issues surrounding the spread of disinformation, including different types of false content and the motivation behind them. He explained that social media is a continuing factor in making disinformation widely available.
Druker co-founded Transitions, as a way to publish news, train journalists and respond to media.
“Transitions strives to support high-quality, independent journalism,” Druker said. As well as supporting an informed and engaged public.
Druker warned students to beware “alternative websites.” These websites are designed to look genuine, but aid in promoting false information.
“Chain emails are one of the most common ways disinformation is spread,” said Druker.
Druker acknowledged both how disinformation is spread and ways to fight against it.
“Fact-checking and quality journalism are key tools in the fight against disinformation,” Druker said, “an EU law would ultimately be effective in gaining ground in this war.”
After Druker’s talk, students had more information to evaluate their news sources and recognize disinformation.