News in the Modern World: Expectations vs. Reality

News and an independent press are a crucial part of a healthy democracy. The electorate needs good information to make informed decisions. What are the consequences of having fake news in our news mix? What is fake news? Is it possible to identify fake news so that consumers recognize it as such? Do we have a healthy media culture, and if not, what would a healthy media culture look like? What are our own responsibilities to achieve this?

In this conversation, you and other participants will explore questions around the media, labeling of news content as “fake news,” and the role media play in shaping our democracy. By practicing the conversation agreements and sticking to the three-round structure, you’ll learn more about how you and your peers think about the role and reliability of news in our lives today.

These are the agreements that you will follow during the conversation.

Be Curious and Open to Learning. Listen to and be open to hearing all points of view. Maintain an attitude of exploration and learning. Conversation is as much about listening as it is about talking.
Show Respect and Suspend Judgment Human beings tend to judge one another. Do your best not to. Setting judgments aside will better enable you to learn from others and help them feel respected and appreciated.
Look for Common Ground and Appreciate Differences In this conversation, we look for what we agree on and simply appreciate that we will disagree on some beliefs and opinions.
Be Authentic and Welcome that from Others Share what's important to you. Speak authentically from your personal and heartfelt experience. Be considerate to others who are doing the same.
Be Purposeful and to the Point Notice if what you are conveying is or is not “on purpose” to the question at hand. Notice if you are making the same point more than once.
Own and Guide the Conversation Take responsibility for the quality of your participation and the conversation by noticing what's happening, and actively support getting yourself and others back “on purpose” when needed.