New Technology and “Fake News:” Its Impact on Real News, the Media, Our Society, and the Library Profession

1:00-1:25pm
Sign-in, Networking & Refreshments

1:25-1:30pm
Greetings & Introduction

1:30-2:30pm
Transforming Journalism: How Augmented and Virtual Reality Are Impacting the News
presented by John V. Pavlik
Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Studies, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers

Technological change is fueling a sea-change in the nature and function of journalism in society. Among the most significant emerging technologies disrupting journalism are the experiential media forms known as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (AR). These immersive forms of communication are transforming the news media on multiple levels. This talk will examine both the nature of AR and VR and their impact on journalism, media and society. Among the influences the speaker will consider are the ways AR and VR are influencing the content of journalism, the nature of public engagement in the news, and the reshaping of the role of journalism in democracy.

2:30-2:40pm
Break

2:40-3:40pm
Fake News & The Role of Libraries
presented by Lorie Harding
Director of Libraries for Episcopal Academy

Misinformation, fake news, and 'big tech' are rapidly changing our (and our patron's) world leaving many to wonder what can be done. How can we best prepare our community to become media literate citizens? We'll explore how we got to now, what intrinsic and extrinsic factors we are up against, and why libraries will save the world (if we let them). Join us for a discussion on how: 

• To understand the psychological forces that make fake news spread 
• To spot misinformation and fake news 
• To understand the role of 'big tech' plays 
• To foster programs, curriculum, and collections that explore, inform and fight this phenomenon

About the Presenters: 

JOHN V. PAVLIK, Ph.D.

John V. Pavlik is Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Pavlik has written widely on the impact of new technology on journalism, media and society, with a particular interest in the role of the press in society in the U.S. and globally. His books include Converging Media, with Shawn McIntosh (Oxford University Press), Mobile Disruptions in the Middle East: Lessons from Qatar and the Arabian Gulf Region in mobile media content innovation, with Everette E. Dennis, Rachel Davis Mersey and Justin Gengler (Routledge Press), Masterful Stories: Lessons from Golden Age Radio (Routledge Press), Media in the Digital Age (Columbia University Press), Journalism and New Media (Columbia University Press), and The People’s Right to Know (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates). His next book is... Read more about John!

LORIE HARDING

Lorie Harding is a librarian and educator with over twenty years experience in academic, special and school libraries. She believes libraries are for everyone and fill an important and unique role in a civil society. She is currently the Director of Libraries for Episcopal Academy, a PreK-12 Independent School in Newtown Square, PA.