In the Age of “Fake News,” What’s Real?

March 24, 2018

I delivered this TEDx Talk, titled “In the Age of ‘Fake News,’ What’s Real?” in March 2018 to draw attention to the rhetorical and communication techniques confronting today’s information consumers. The talk highlights how today’s interconnected and information-dense world poses challenges to consumers aiming to sift through the infinite scroll cycle to distill the facts. By encouraging listeners to engage with open minds, critical and discerning ears, and analytical media consumption skills, the talk introduces relatable and repeatable methods for separating fact from fiction. Drawing on fundamental tenets from rhetoric and communication theory, the talk examines the concepts of “fake news,” biases, agendas, and framing to gain a deeper understanding of and navigate the modern information landscape. The talk brings renewed attention to the age-old idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover” in the context of contemporary news media.

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