Brave News World: Making Sense of News & Information in the Digital Age

The importance of journalism and a free press is one of the pillars of a democratic society. But what is “real” and what is “fake” when absolutely everything can be questioned?  The news has never been more important, but at the same time, confidence and viewership of traditional news sources is declining, while emerging media, crowd-sourced news and digital sharing is on the rise. Consumers are bombarded with “alternative facts,” misleading advertising,hoaxes, and politically-slanted humor.  Join us  for a panel discussion to explore the reliability of different information sources and learn  how we can make better informed judgments as we sift through the onslaught of information rushing at us 24×7.

Scott Budman, NBC Bay Area Anchor and Reporter: Scott Budman is an Emmy Award winning reporter and anchor who hosts the station’s long-running weekly technology program Tech Now! and reports on business and technology for NBC Bay Area.  Scott has won many awards including a national Iris Award for a documentary about gays in the military. He also received Golden Mike Awards from the Southern California Radio and Television News Directors Association.  Weekday afternoons, Scott reports on business for KNBR Radio.  He is a regular blogger for Forbes as well as several other online publications. In addition to his busy schedule at NBC Bay Area, Scott is a devoted volunteer with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Clara County. He also supports the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Scott has a degree in political science from UCLA.

Courtney Cooperman, Stanford University Student: Courtney Cooperman is a freshman at Stanford University, prospectively studying Political Science. As a member of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey, Courtney has been actively involved in the Jewish community throughout her life. Last spring, she interned at the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life in Washington DC, and will continue as an intern with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in New York this summer. She is also the incoming tikkun olam chair of the Stanford Jewish Students Association for the 2017-18 school year.  Courtney was an Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper and has continued with journalism as an opinions columnist on the Stanford Daily. As a politically engaged student and writer, Courtney is honored and excited to be a part of JHTC’s conversation on the future of journalism and social media.

John McManus, Publisher, Author and Educator: John McManus founded GradeTheNews.org, which attempts to do for news in the San Francisco Bay Area what Consumer Reports does for cars, cameras and computers. After graduating from Holy Cross, he earned a master’s degree in journalism at Michigan and a Ph.D. in communication at Stanford. John began his career as a newspaper journalist, writing about race and class in the South. His research has focused on news quality, ethics and particularly how markets—for advertisers, investors, consumers and sources—shape news.  John’s first academic book, “Market-Driven Journalism: Let the Citizen Beware?” won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Research Award in 1994. His second, “Detecting Bull: How to Identify Bias and Junk Journalism in Print, Broadcast and on the Wild Web,” won the same award in 2009. John’s latest book (May, 2012) is “Don’t Be Fooled: A Citizen’s Guide to News and Information in the Digital Age.”  He has taught at three universities in the Bay Area and lectured in the U.S. and Europe.

Stacey Hendler Ross: Stacey Hendler Ross is a Media Spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority focusing on capital projects.  Previously, as Director of Communications for the South Bay Labor Council Stacey was responsible for promoting the Labor Council’s public image and interests and was the Labor Council’s primary news media contact. Prior to joining the Labor Council, she enjoyed a successful television news career, working most recently at San Francisco’s KGO-TV in the Silicon Valley Bureau. After graduating with a degree in Broadcast Communications from the University of Houston, my career began in Laredo, Texas covering fascinating issues that occur along the U.S./Mexican border.