Video: Local Misinformation, Small Town Populists, and Platform Politics

This announcement was provided by the Center for Advanced Studies, University of Illinois.  The video of the presentation can be viewed at https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_tznlnfqt​

On October 25, 2021 , this topic was presented by Nikki Usher, Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign on October 25, 2021 as part of a series on  Conspiracy, Misinformation, and the Infodemic, offered by the Center for Advanced Study (CAS).

 From the CAS abstract: As the full impact of diminished legacy news becomes increasingly clear, platforms like Facebook have become the home page, front page, and bulletin board for civic life in communities—essential communication infrastructure. However, big tech platforms aren’t concerned with democracy, just profit. While much is known about how platforms enable misinformation spreading and hyper-partisanship at a national and international scale, far less is known about what happens at the local level. Using research from the PPLN-IL project [Platforms, Politics, and Local News in Illinois], this talk explores the challenges to combatting misinformation about COVID-19 on a local level. Of particular concern is a growing phenomenon: opportunistic local politicians using social media to weaponize national political issues into career-boosting opportunities.

See more on this topic on our Misinformation about Elections page.
​(KF)