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SUMMARY:Post-truth politics and the US Presidential Election: implications
  for journalism and society - Steve McGookin\, John Naughton\, David Runci
 man\, Gary Gerstle
DTSTART:20161026T163000Z
DTEND:20161026T181500Z
UID:TALK68207@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Professor John Naughton
DESCRIPTION:What does the rise of Donald Trump (and the Brexit vote) tell 
 us about the role of journalism in a "post-truth" society?\n\nThe 2016 US 
 Presidential Election campaign that is now drawing to a close has been the
  strangest electoral contest in recent American history.  Donald Trump's v
 ictory in the Republican primaries caught US media unprepared\, but the ge
 neral expectation was that once the election campaign proper got under way
  his candidature would implode under the weight of his indiscretions and t
 he intense journalistic scrutiny to which presidential candidates are trad
 itionally subjected.  But this didn't happen\, despite the best efforts of
  serious mainstream journalism.\n\nAs a result\, US journalism is in a sta
 te of crisis.  Despite the best efforts of the _New York Times_\, _Washing
 ton Post_\, _The Atlantic_ and a host of other reputable media organisatio
 ns\, there is a possibility that a man who has broken all of the conventio
 ns of normal democratic discourse may be elected President.  How has this 
 come about?  What role has the Internet -- and in particular Trump's domin
 ance of Twitter -- played? And if this is the new reality of democratic po
 litics\, how should professional journalism respond?  What is the role for
  responsible reportage and comment in this new environment?  Will the 2016
  Election campaign be seen just  as an historical outlier -- a 'black swan
 ' -- or as a signifier of a new kind of politics?\n\n*About the speakers*\
 n\nSteve McGookin is a former Wolfson Press Fellow and ex-Financial Times 
 journalist who now works in the US.  He has been following the Trump campa
 ign on the ground since the early primaries.  In this special event\, sche
 duled to coincide with the closing week of the campaign but before the act
 ual vote\, he will be joined by a panel consisting of John Naughton (_Obse
 rver_ columnist and Director of the Wolfson Press Fellowship Programme)\, 
 David Runciman\, (Professor of Politics and Head of POLIS) and Gary Gerstl
 e (Paul Mellon Professor of American History) to discuss the significance 
 and implications of an extraordinary year in democratic politics.\n\n*Abou
 t the Wolfson Press Fellowship Programme*\n\nThe Fellowship is a programme
  that has been running since 1982 in which journalists in mid-career come 
 to Cambridge for a term to research a project of their own choosing under 
 light academic supervision.  To date\, the programme has welcomed over 330
  journalists from 47 countries.\n\n*Registration*\n\nAll welcome but regis
 tration essential because of space restrictions.  If you intend to come\, 
 please register "here":http://www.eventbrite.com/e/post-truth-politics-and
 -the-us-presidential-election-tickets-28396244933\n\n*Please note change o
 f time - now starting at 5.30pm*
LOCATION:Lee Hall\, Wolfson College
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