UC Davis Forum: ‘Fake News’ and Media Literacy in the Digital Age

DAVIS – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, will host a panel discussion at UC Davis on Sept. 24 to address challenges and opportunities in media literacy education. He and the group of academics, journalists and scholars will take on topics such as political propaganda on social media in the 2016 presidential election, the importance of a free press in supporting democracy and charges of “fake news” leveled at the mainstream media by President Donald Trump.

“The rise of misleading news is deeply concerning, as is the habit by some to dismiss real facts as fake news just because they don’t like them,” said Senator Dodd, who authored Senate Bill 830 calling for media literacy education. “We already require critical thinking skills in our schools.

By giving students the proper training to analyze the media they consume, we can empower them to make informed decisions.”

Who: Senator Dodd; Paul Gullixson, Associate vice president for Strategic Communications at Sonoma State University; Tessa Jolls, President and CEO of the Center for Media Literacy; Garth Lewis, superintendent-elect, Yolo County Office of Education; Taryn Luna, reporter, The Sacramento Bee; and Mindy Romero, founder and director of the California Civic Engagement Project at the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy in Sacramento.

What: Panel discussion, ‘Fake News’ and Media Literacy in the Digital Age

When: September 24, 2018, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Where: UC Davis, Alpha Gamma Rho Room, Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center (Free parking is available for this event)

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Senator Bill Dodd represents California’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.