A conference on Thursday and Friday will bring together international thought leaders to discuss fake news and the so-called post-truth phenomenon. 

The conference seeks to create a forum for discussions, co-learning and networking with conversations delving into post-truth related topics such as populism, polarisation, mass surveillance, echo chambers and the conversion of popularity into legitimacy. 

The two-day event sees speakers, panelists and delegates, including an invited panel of students for a Youth Summit, unpack four overarching and interconnected areas - media, technology, education and government - that play a role in either fostering or mitigating the issues prevalent in the post-truth society.  

The conference is organised by the Malta-based Commonwealth Centre for Connected Learning with the theme ‘Understanding the Post Truth Society: From Fake News, Datafication and Mass Surveillance to the Death of Trust’ at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.

The line-up includes Michael J., Casey, an author, educator and media entrepreneur; Kenneth Cukier from The Economist; Hossein Derakhshan from the MIT Media Lab, who had been imprisoned for six years in Iran; Vivian Onano, a social entrepreneur and global youth advocate and Ruben Brave, from Make Media Great Again.

Seven panel discussions provide a forum for the airing of a diverse, interdisciplinary views among international guests and Malta-based academics  such as Maria Pisani, Joe Cannataci, Godfrey Baldacchino, Vince Briffa and Ġorġ Mallia and Herman Grech, editor-in-chief of Times of Malta.

We’re living in an age where we no longer have trust in absolutes

Dr Alex Grech, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Centre for Connected Learning (3CL) said: “We’re living in an age where we no longer have trust in absolutes. We are now questioning the roles, power and responsibilities of supposed established pillars and so-called ‘estates’ of society. Add to these the new determining power of technology and you wonder whether these forces are having a positive effect on our society, or if they’re partly responsible for the death of trust”. 

There are some delegate places available and concessions are available for students, non–profits and academics. Visit https://connectedlearning.edu.mt/ for more information and to register.

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