Table talk was held on Nov. 16 at BC’s Campus Center building, and the panel event focused on how to deal with misinformation at family gatherings.
Panelists include Laura Luiz, Reggie Williams, Talita Pruett, Emma Gallegos, Anthony Vasquez, and Ariel Dyer ranging from specialists in journalism, philosophy and information.
Pruett said to include an honest dialogue and encouraged that people should come in with an open mind to have a discussion and and to listen to everyone’s opinions. Luiz said that we need to stop focusing on winning and view it from their perspective and listen.
Williams said that trying to get answers by better understanding a problem and not trying to be quick with responses and listening more.
Pruett said debates focus on errors while discussions focus on understanding. Gallegos said debates have become the norm in the media.
When Dyer asked the question for the panelists on what misinformation means and why it is important, Williams said information and misinformation is getting blurry; however, things have gotten better with fact checking through phones.
He also emphasizes to people about political leaning topics in misinformation, and to figure out the earnestness of the people bringing the information that they claim. He also stated facts he researched before the event from the Pew Research Center that stated 8% of the US population have felony convictions, 3% served time in prison; 33% of black males have felony convictions; 13% of black males served time. Williams further states that these facts are neutral, but what is the context of the discourse and how are people using these facts.
Luiz said that sometimes we cannot all agree on the same facts and cannot all agree on the authority figures and that the idea of fake news is distorted from what it means to be on anything we disagree with.
Dyer followed their response and asked how to deal with someone using misinformation.
Williams said when someone is denying facts and is not sincere with their argument, then he is done, and that we need to be earnest and sincere versus just trying to win.
Luiz said doing one’s own research has turned into looking for sources that agree with us and is affected by algorithms giving us the sources we are looking for.
Luiz said to be careful of what sources you give and when in order to make them not put up walls by leaving the ball in their court with the sources.