Trailside Center, 4700 Dublin Ave. in Midland
The nonprofit TED, standing for Technology, Entertainment, Design, offers knowledge and inspiration from the world’s foremost thinkers in video presentations online for free. Their Mission: Spreading Ideas. Join educator Tom Lowrey on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month during lunch to watch a TED talk (typically 10-20 minutes each) and participate in lively discussion about the ideas presented. Please register by calling 633-3700.
Fixing and Saving the News Industry
Tuesday, May 23, 11:45am-1:00pm
3 ways to fix a broken news industry
Something is very wrong with the news industry. Trust in the media has hit an all-time low, we’re inundated with sensationalist stories and consistent, high-quality reporting is scarce, says journalist and entrepreneur Lara Setrakian. She shares three ways we can fix the news and make complex issues easier to understand.
How free is our freedom of the press?
In the U.S., the press has a right to publish secret information the public needs to know, protected by the First Amendment. Government surveillance has made it more dangerous for whistleblowers to share information. Freedom of the Press Foundation co-founder Trevor Timm traces the recent history of government action against individuals who expose crime.
We can fight terror without sacrificing our rights
Can we fight terror without destroying democracy? Internet freedom activist Rebecca MacKinnon thinks we’ll lose the battle against extremism and demagoguery if we censor the internet and press. In this talk, she calls for a doubling-down on strong encryption and appeals to governments to better protect journalists and activists fighting against extremists.
