Facts or Fake News? The Vocation of the Journalist in the Age of Post-Truth

A discussion

with Robin Gaby FISHER, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist, Star Ledger, and Mary ROMANO, Assistant Managing Editor, Barron's

Presented by Crossroads Cultural Center

The expansion of the new digital media has given journalists powerful new tools to reach millions of people, but has also created serious new dangers. In the vast ocean of the web, news have become just one form of "content" among many others, almost inextricably mixed with entertainment, political propaganda and commercialism. Clearly, this poses dramatic challenges to the journalistic profession. Is it still possible to be a journalist in the traditional sense, when one is constantly under pressure to deliver as many "clicks" as possible? How can journalists remain faithful to their professional vocation while working in a social environment that is becoming every day more politicized and more commercialized? Recently Pope Francis pointed out that “there are huge economic interests operating in the digital world, capable of exercising forms of control as subtle as they are invasive, creating mechanisms for the manipulation of consciences and of the democratic process. The way many platforms work often ends up favoring encounter between persons who think alike, shielding them from debate. These closed circuits facilitate the spread of fake news and false information, fomenting prejudice and hate. The proliferation of fake news is the expression of a culture that has lost its sense of truth and bends the facts to suit particular interests." Crossroads has invited two distinguished journalists from the NY-NJ area to discuss their experiences working as reporters in this new world, and to tell us how they are able to stay faithful to their professional commitment to serve the public with "true news."

The event is open to the public and free of charge.

About this Event

Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Time: 7pm
Location: Crossroads Auditorium
125 Maiden Lane, 15th Floor, NY, NY
(ID required to enter the building)
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About the Speakers

Robin Gaby Fisher
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist, Star Ledger

Mary Romano
Assistant Managing Editor, Barron's

Invitation

Download the invitation.

Video

Photos - click on image below