BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The general election is swiftly approaching and with a lot of information at our fingertips, it's important to know what to believe.
- The event aims to help community members navigate digital spaces and identify fake news.
- Sessions will cover topics like voting, ballot measures, and evaluating news credibility.
- Workshops will be taught by journalists, professors, and community members.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Bakersfield College is hosting an event to make navigating digital spaces easier during election season.
Ariel Dyer, Bakersfield College reference librarian, says, "If you are existing in the world during election season, you're probably getting inundated with ads on YouTube, if you watch YouTube, radio, through your mail."
With the changes in the online landscape, Ariel Dyer tells me that she wanted to start an event that could help those in the community navigate everyday digital spaces. "It's hard to know the intent behind those ads, and really understand where you lay as far as issues, so this is a non-partisan opportunity to be able to navigate that landscape," she explains.
With 8 event sessions being taught by journalists, professors, BC student life, and local community members, the goal is to teach those who attend about voting, ballot measures, with a focus on local news and the credibility of where you get your information.
Laura Luiz, Bakersfield College librarian says, "We run into things like echo chambers and misinformation, and a lot of information we get is heavily focused on conspiracy theories and propaganda."
Luiz tells me she sees a lot of political engagement online and because of that she will be teaching an in-person and virtual workshop about conspiracy theories online. "Talking about what conspiracies are, how to fact check them, and how to also interact with people who are spreading conspiracy theories is really important," she adds.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at theLevan Center in Bakersfield College, you canclick here to register for free.
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