In an era where any news the president doesn’t like is dubbed as “fake news” it can be difficult to know what is truth and what is false. And, as the election approaches, disinformation spreads freely and easily. To help consumers with this problem, the University of Oregon Demystifying Media Series is hosting a free lecture on disinformation in the 2020 U.S. presidential election 6:30 pm Monday, Jan. 27, at the Knight Library Browsing Room. This lecture will give consumers, writers and all other internet users skills on how to address the issue. The talk will go over different types of media manipulation and how people can equip themselves to decipher false and biased information from truth. 

The discussion will be lead by Claire Wardle, co-founder and executive chair of First Draft, a global nonprofit focused on research to address misinformation. Her research revolves around information and public policy. Much of First Draft’s work revolves around elections and trust and truth in the digital age, leading coalitions all over the world including Africa, Europe and South America. The event is sponsored by UO’s School of Journalism and Communication. For more information, visit Calendar.UOregon.edu.