Tune in to the Knight-Civic Hall Symposium on Tech, Politics and the Media – Knight Foundation
Technology

Tune in to the Knight-Civic Hall Symposium on Tech, Politics and the Media

The 2016 presidential election was one of the most historic and divisive elections in recent memory. Controversy surrounding the spread of fake news, inaccurate polling and allegations of foreign interference made headlines. As a new administration arrives in Washington, many Americans are seeking to draw lessons and insights from the election. 

Join Knight Foundation and Civic Hall in New York for nonpartisan discussions with leading journalists, campaign strategists, civic organizations and others on the 2016 election and what lies ahead. We’ll explore the way newsrooms cover elections, the increasing polarization of the American electorate and more. Several panels during the daylong event will reflect on the roles that journalism, social media platforms and civil society play in shaping elections and strengthening our democracy.

The event will be live-streamed here from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 18. We encourage you to tune in and to participate via Twitter, with the hashtag #kfcivichall.

Here is a complete schedule of events::

9:30 a.m. —  Listening Deeply: How can journalists do a better job of reporting the whole picture? What roles do data, storytelling and geography have in reporting? How can media organizations listen beyond the echo chamber?

  • Amalie Nash – USA Today @AmalieNash 

  • Nate Silver – 538 @NateSilver538

  • Sally Buzbee – The Associated Press @SallyBuzbee

  • Nicco Mele (moderator) – Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School @nicco

10:45 a.m. –  How Social Platforms Are Reshaping News: How does the online environment affect the information that Americans see and share with each other? What can be done to ensure that people have access to credible sources of information?

  • Eli Pariser – Upworthy @elipariser

  • Zeynep Tufekci – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill @zeynep

  • Sam Blakeslee – Institute of Advanced Technology and Public Policy, California Polytechnic State University @samblakeslee

  • Brian Stelter – CNN @brianstelter

  • Claire Wardle (moderator) – First Draft Coalition @cward1e

11:45 a.m. – Remarks from Anthony Marx, president, New York Public Library

1:30 p.m. –  Civic Engagement in the 2016 Election: Are there better ways of engaging people in the public arena? What worked in 2016? What didn’t? Can we make voting, along with other forms of civic participation, more fun? More valuable?

2:30 p.m. –  The Role of Tech in the Campaign: This cross-partisan panel reflects on how tech worked and didn’t work to serve candidates and voters in 2016.

  • Becky Bond – Bernie Sanders 2016 Campaign @bbond

  • Mindy Finn – Vice presidential candidate with Evan McMullin @mindyfinn

  • Molly Schweickert – Cambridge Analytica / Donald J. Trump 2016 Campaign @m_schweickert

  • Jess Morales Rocketto – Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign @JessLivMo

  • Nancy Scola (moderator) – Politico @nancyscola

3:45 p.m. –  Freedom of Speech and of the Press: How do we maintain freedom of the press and of speech in an age when those First Amendment rights are challenged?

  • Jameel Jaffer – Knight First Amendment Institute, Columbia University @JameelJaffer

  • Lynn Oberlander – First Look Media @LynnOberlander

  • Floyd Abrams – Cahill Gordon & Reindel

  • Chris Hughes (moderator) – Knight Foundation @chrishughes

4:45 p.m. — Closing Remarks