'Fake news' workshop coming to FVCC

ImagineIF Library is inviting the public to learn about “fake news” at a panel discussion featuring members of the local media, Wednesday, May 24 at 6 p.m. at Flathead Valley Community College.

Panelists include Daily Inter Lake Managing Editor Frank Miele, Flathead Beacon Senior Writer Tristan Scott and Montana Public Radio News Director Eric Whitney. Library Director Kim Crowley will facilitate the conversation.

The library’s aim is to tackle the widely used term by identifying what “fake news” means and helping attendees recognize the difference between that and reliable news sources.

“I think some people don’t know what (fake news) means,” Crowley said. “From our perspective, fake news is something that is written deliberately untrue to mislead the public.”

Crowley added that the library already spends time educating its visitors on reliable and unreliable sources, helping differentiate paid advertisements from actual search results on Google, for example.

“Libraries have always been educational institutions and we’re pretty well poised to help people in thinking critically, especially when it comes to information they find on the internet,” she said.

Panelists will be asked to give their own definition of fake news, answer whether or not its spread is preventable and, if so, what strategies can be employed to stop it.

The discussion will be held in FVCC’s Arts and Technology building, room 139.

For more information, visit www.imagineiflibraries.org.