Misinformation: Why It Exists – And How To Stop It – Helen Lee Bouygues

The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Art of Living Interview Series

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m Paul Vogelzang, and as part of our Smithsonian Associates Art of Living interview series, our guest today, Helen Lee Bouygues, is here to talk ‘Fake News,’ misinformation, and why it exists, but most importantly, how to stop it.

Helen Lee Bouygues will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program via Zoom, June 21, and the title of her presentation is Misinformation: Why it Exists – And How To Stop It.  More details are available on our website.

Conspiracy theories have been part of our culture for centuries, dating back to the American Revolution. But it wasn’t until the 2016 Presidential election that Americans began to see how the internet could gin up a toxic stew of misinformation powerful enough to drive public opinion and elect a president. Today, algorithms control our news feeds and encourage emotional thinking. Conspiracy theories that were once relegated to fanzines are now heard even on the floors of Congress.

Despite the wealth of resources that have been devoted to halt their dissemination, fake news, misinformation, and disinformation campaigns continue to attack democratic elections and unravel our social fabric. Banning liars and propagandists from Twitter and removing toxic websites won’t make the problem go away.

The Reboot Foundation, founded by Helen Lee Bouygues—which promotes critical thinking through research—and others have found that education must play a primary role in tackling this problem. Despite calls for more media-literacy education, research shows that more than a third of American middle school students have had little or no instruction in how to identify a reliable website.

Helen Lee Bouygues, president of the Reboot Foundation, discusses how to identify and combat fake news. She explains how society can balance free speech and new technologies, why people choose to reject or confirm information that competes with their worldview, and how media consumers can better resist becoming a victim of misinformation.

Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, Helen Lee Bouygues.

My thanks to Helen Lee Bouygues.  Helen Lee Bouygues will presenting at the Smithsonian Associates, June 21, 2021, and the title of her presentation is Misinformation: Why It Exists –  And How To Stop It.   You can find out more in our show notes.   My thanks as well to the Smithsonian Associates team for all they do to support the show.  Of course, my thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience.  Please be well, stay healthy and vaccinated, and remember, let’s Talk About Better.  The Not Old Better Show.  Thanks, everybody.  

For more information from the Smithsonian Associates website, please click here:  https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/misinformation-why-it-exists-and-how-to-stop-it