Truth, Trust and Democracy

In this final episode Michelle Ainsworth explores why everyone needs strong media and digital literacy skills to help navigate our increasingly messy information ecosystem. She’ll also touch on the importance of civic engagement in a democracy.She’ll talk to experts in media and digital literacy, civics, former US government advisors and leading academics in disinformation.This episode includes interviews with:Leo Pekkala, Deputy Director KAVI, Finland’s National Audio-Visual InstituteMichelle Ciulla Lipkin, former Executive Director of the National Association for Media Literacy EducationMichael Daniel, President Cyber Threat AllianceAssociate Professor Michelle Amazeen, Mass Communication, Boston UniversitySam Stockwell, Alan Turing Institute’s Centre for Emerging Technology and SecurityProfessor Amy E. Lehrman, Director of the Possibility Lab, UC BerkeleyAbby Kiesa, outgoing deputy director, Centre for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)Professor Jon Roozenbeek, Social Decision-Making Lab, Cambridge UniversityPublications cited:Adult Media Literacy - Australian Media Literacy AllianceCircle at Tufts UniversityNAMLE (National Association for Media Literacy Education)Sir Winston Churchill democracy speech - UK Hansard 11 Nov 1947 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Michelle Ainsworth looks at why strong public service media organisations and local journalism are vital for keeping democracy in check at a grassroots level. She also explores the challenges facing political journalists who are working in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.She’ll talk to senior journalists and news executives, former US government advisors, information integrity experts and disinformation specialists.This episode includes interviews with:Tina Griego, Colorado News CollaborativeAssociate Professor Michelle Amazeen, Mass Communication, Boston UniversityDean Jackson, Democracy, Media and Technology SpecialistNina Jankowicz, founder American Sunlight Project and author of “How to lose the information war”Kelly McBride, Senior Vice President Poynter Institute and NPR’s Public EditorJay Rosen, Journalism Professor, New York University and author of “The Citizens Agenda”Sam Stockwell, Alan Turing Institute’s Centre for Emerging Technology and SecurityProfessor Rasmus Nielson, Former Director Reuters Institute for the Study of JournalismProfessor Amy E. Lehrman, Director of the Possibility Lab, UC BerkeleyMarty Baron, former Editor of the Washington Post and author of “Collision of Power”Associate Professor Claire Wardle, Department of Communication, Cornell UniversityTina Rosenberg, journalist and co-founder Solutions Journalism NetworkPublications cited:Colorado News CollaborativeNew forms of advertising raise questions about journalism integrity - The ConversationThe Citizens Agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle Ainsworth explores how social media has enabled misinformation and disinformation to disrupt democracies around the world.She’ll talk to digital forensics and disinformation experts, senior journalists, and academics who focus on information integrity.This episode includes interviews with:Professor Hany Farid, School of Information, UC BerkeleyMarty Baron, former Editor of the Washington Post and author of “Collision of Power”Professor Amy E. Lehrman, Director of the Possibility Lab, UC BerkeleyLaura Manley, Executive Director Shorenstein Centre on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard UniversityAssociate Professor Michelle Amazeen, Mass Communication, Boston UniversityRenee DiResta, researcher into online manipulation and author of “Invisible Rulers” Nina Jankowicz, founder American Sunlight Project and author of “How to lose the information war”Associate Professor Kelly Greenhill, Tufts University and author of “Weapons of Mass Migration”Publications cited:2024 Digital News Report - Reuters InstituteUnited Nations - Information Integrity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia’s democracy is the 6th oldest in the world yet despite having an independent electoral system that’s the envy of the western world, vulnerabilities are beginning to crack.2024 was dubbed a “super election year”, with more than half the world’s population eligible to vote in elections.Former political editor Michelle Ainsworth travelled on a Winston Churchill Fellowship to the US, the UK and Finland. She hoped to explore why trust in democracy was declining while audiences are turning away from traditional news sources.This is the first episode of Truth, Trust and Democracy, a new seven-part series that examines polarisation in politics and the media, the spread of misinformation and disinformation via social media and the impact of generative AI in elections.Later episodes will look at the role of publicly funded broadcasters and local journalism, fact checking and media literacy.This episode includes interviews with:Marty Baron, former Editor of the Washington Post and author of “Collision of Power”Agustina Callegari, Global Coalition for Digital Safety, World Economic ForumTom Rogers, former Australian Electoral CommissionerPublications cited:Edelman Trust Barometer 2025WEF 2025 Global Risks ReportStrengthening Australian Democracy - Dept of Home AffairsAEC Democracy Rules website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.