Instruction, Regulation, and Solutions for Today’s Information and Political Environment
Sponsored by Sage
Recorded on 10/21/2024
Posted in The Authority File
Episode 403
In the third episode of this four-part series, Dan Chibnall, STEM Librarian & Associate Professor of Librarianship at Drake University, and Nick Anstead, Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, talk instruction and regulation in the current information landscape. Touching on the importance of media literacy, they stress that contemporary issues of misinformation and untrustworthy news sources require large-scale solutions that go beyond building individual literacy skills. In fact, Nick highlights the need for political campaign guardrails and regulations against technology companies, while Dan posits that a healthy democratic environment requires abandoning bygone legislation and pushing forward policies that better reflect the challenges of today. In addition, Dan compares his instruction tactics since the last time he was on The Authority File in 2020, sharing new strategies such as building reaction habits, finding and becoming a “nerd node,” and calling out epistemic trespassing.
About the guests:
Nick Anstead
Associate Professor, Department of Media and Communication
London School of Economics
Nick Anstead is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communication at the London School of Economics, where his research focuses on elections, comparative politics and political communication. He is the author of the book What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Fake News (2021) and has had work published in leading journals including Political Studies, The International Journal of Press/Politics, and the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Nick is a regular commentator on elections and politics in the media. He tweets @nickanstead and is on Bluesky @nickanstead.bsky.social.
Dan Chibnall
STEM Librarian & Associate Professor of Librarianship
Drake University
Dan Chibnall is the STEM Librarian & Associate Professor of Librarianship at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in the United States. Dan teaches classes in science research, science communication, science fiction, the relationship between science & democracy, and misinformation in the 21st century. He has also co-authored articles on helping K-12 students to understand scientific concepts through active learning techniques. Dan is active in supporting Iowa libraries, having served as the President of both the Iowa Library Association as well as the Iowa chapter of the Association of College & Research Libraries. He posts on Bluesky as @bookowl.bsky.social.
Enjoy the episode? Listen to the rest of the series:
- Definitions, Uses, and Current Contexts for “Fake News”
- Navigating the Changing Information Landscape
- AI-Generated Misinformation, Fact-Checking Trends, and Political Education for Students
Check out our previous series with Sage:
– Librarian Skills Landscape Report and Overview
– The Intersection of Critical Thinking Skills and AI
– Building Skills for Student Success
– Understanding the Undergraduate Workflow
– Spotlighting Academic Library Innovation
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