A conversation between Louis Dreyfus, Anya Schiffrin, and Duy Linh Tu
Watch the recording
The parliamentary elections recently held in France and the forthcoming American presidential elections are exposing, once again, the challenge that disinformation poses to democracies. A healthy society depends on a community of engaged citizens who have access to a range of fact-based, reliable sources of information. But when fake news and conspiracy theories proliferate, polarization grows and the space for good faith, rational, public debate, shrinks. As trust erodes, journalists are often criticized, caught between demagogic politicians and a disenchanted public. At the same time, they hold the key to improving public debate and to empowering citizens with knowledge
How has the role of journalism evolved in the era of disinformation? What is the true impact of deep fakes, AI, and targeted political advertising on the public debate? How do corporations influence the breadth of ideas and opinions available online? Should social media platforms pay for content produced by journalists? Whose responsibility is it to regulate hate speech and violent content? Can social media platforms regulate themselves? Or should governments take on this responsibility? How can we ensure that freedom of expression is protected in the process? Do these questions play out differently in France and the United States and what we learn from these differences?
We have invited a panel of leading journalists and thinkers to share their reflections on these questions.
Louis Dreyfus is Managing Director of French media group Le Monde. A graduate from the HEC Business School and an alumnus of the London School of Economics, Louis Dreyfus is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Group Le Monde, the leading independent French media group with numerous publications such as Le Monde, l’Obs, Télérama, Courrier International, La Vie, le Monde Diplomatique and several digital pure players such as the French edition of The Huffington Post. Louis Dreyfus started his career in New York where he worked for six years for Hachette Filipacchi as international controller before moving to Marseille as the Chief Financial Officer of La Provence, the local daily newspaper. He then moved to Paris where he headed Libération and then le Nouvel Observateur as CEO.
Anya Schiffrin is the director of the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a senior lecturer who teaches on global media, innovation and human rights. She writes on journalism and development, investigative reporting in the global south and has published extensively over the last decade on the media in Africa. She is the editor of Media Capture: How Money, Digital Platforms and Governments Control the News (Columbia University Press 2021.). She is a leading thinker and commentator on AI and publishing, media sustainability as well as mis/disinformation and media impact.
Duy Linh Nguyen Tu is a journalist and documentary filmmaker, focusing on science, climate, and the environment. Tu is the Dean of Academic Affairs of the Columbia School of Journalism and Professor of Professional Practice and teaches reporting and video storytelling courses. He is also a graduate of the program.
This event is co-sponsored by the Columbia Maison Française, the Alliance Program, the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, and the Columbia School of Journalism
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