Media Ethics Workshop to Focus on Fake News

13th Annual Workshop Will Examine Media Literacy, Fake News Implications for Journalists, PR Professionals

NPR’s David Folkenflik will headline the 13th annual Poynter KSU Media Ethics Workshop on Sept. 21, 2017. Hosted by the Poynter Institute and the Kent State School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Media Law Center for Ethics and Access, this year’s workshop will explore the concept and ethics of “fake news.”

“Fake news” has become a popular catchphrase since the 2016 presidential election. Once used to describe deliberate misinformation and hoaxes, it has since become a blanket term to discredit all kinds of stories.

Folkenflik, who will deliver the workshop’s keynote, is the media correspondent for NPR News. His reports cast light on the stories of our age, the figures who shape journalism and the tectonic shifts affecting the news industry. He is featured prominently as a media expert in the 2017 Netflix documentary “Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press.” Centered around Hulk Hogan’s case against Gawker Media, the documentary sheds light on wealthy and powerful figures who challenge freedom of the press in order to silence critics.

Other speakers and topics will include:

  • Fake news and media credibility, with Mizell Stewart, vice president of news operations for Gannett and the USA TODAY Network
  • Media literacy with Damaso Reyes of the News Literacy Project
  • Elections and fake news
  • Fake news and implications for public relations professionals with Dix & Eaton CEO Chas Withers

More panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Media Ethics Workshop is a one-day training program for professionals, educators and students that examines critical issues and perspectives in media ethics. This year’s panel will be moderated by distinguished Poynter Institute faculty Kelly McBride and Indira Lakshmanan who will facilitate a unique forum for professionals and students alike to confront and discuss significant issues crucial to understanding journalism and media ethics and their effects.

The workshop, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is $25 for professionals, $20 for educators and free for students. Registration is available now for professionals and educators. The workshop will take place in FirstEnergy Auditorium (Room 340) of Franklin Hall on Kent State University’s campus, the home of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. A live stream and overflow seating will be available. Kent State University is a smoke-free campus. 

WKSU FM is a sponsor for this event. Join them for a free community event featuring David Folkenflik, "Breaking News and Broken News: Media in the Age of Trump" from 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 21 at the Akron-Summit County Public Library. 

POSTED: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 11:38 AM
Updated: Thursday, December 8, 2022 10:35 PM