Provided the video. Alan one of the joys of my position is there is a heritage to president ial libraries and all of the prior directors of the jfk President Library and museum have been mentors to me, as i have taken on the role. We have announced to the community as a couple of days ago the passing of the very first director of the jfk library. Dan was a member of the Kennedy Administration. It is a special pride that he would share it would glow in him, his advocacy of the importance of the Kennedy Administration and the many treasures we had in our building. I love this photograph of the building, it is nighttime. For those who have not yet come to see us, i believe the library is inspirational in itself and fitting for the life and times and ideas of an inspirational president , the 35th president , president kennedy. Us, youre able to visit will see this building, it is facing toward boston harbor. It is a site that will elevate your thoughts, and as you think about what the nati
Action in 2020. I am rebecca, director of George Washington university is a different data, democracy and politics. Im pleased to welcome you to our conference. Today, we have the opportunity too speak to a number of renowned experts, academics, journals, medical and Public Health professionals, as well as grass roots activists about how the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped digital communication, campaigning and activism and lead up to one of the most consequential elections in this nations history. We will discuss the challenges of Fact Checking political claims in real time. The targeting and impacts of disinformation on communities of color. Potential postelection violence being organized online, and much, much more. However, before we begin our first panel, i would like to invite you to watch a few remarks from George Washington universitys president. Sue met good morning. I am president of the George Washington university. I am pleased to welcome you to todays events. Posted by g
We have all long operated we covered the white house together, weve done that. We know how all president s and their Communications Team try to throw information out there because they want us, they want us to echo that. They want to put that out there. In an amendment such as this that so challenge with the subject of the continued influence the fact, do you change the way you put that information out there . How do you address that reality . You are muted, mara, sorry. This is a really, really, really tough problem. Because were so tribal, because of the tribalizing effects of social media, you know, whatever we do to discuss a piece of misinformation or disinformation, we putting that piece of this information out there and by definition i guess were giving it more life for airtime. Npr is a mainstream News Organization. We try to surround this piece of misinformation or disinformation with as much context and Fact Checking as we can, but what we found, maybe we can talk about this,
I think the perceptionce that many people in the United States and also around the worldhi that this is an extraordinary unusual time in a sense where we are out of time will be a curiosity in the future. People will look back and wonder about that wonderment. And he gets kind of an interesting phenomenon. When you think about today do you compare it to any other time in history . As a historian. Im interested in that. We have a cognitive tendency. In the same way im the kind of person that seems like this and family members. Our need for familiarity. For most of my career as a historian. What time is this like. It is an easy story to write. I think theres a whole crop of president ial biographers who go out on talk shows. I generally find them to be not i in this era. Its actually a way to kind of contain the chaos. It is a way to avoid what is truly strange about this. What do we mean when we talk about American History. How are we to reckon with the fact that our present day is so p
So little perspective on this moment, its quite impossible to say. I think the perception that many people in the United States and of course also around the world have that this is an extraordinary unusual time something we are the time out of time, will be curiosity in the future people will look back and wonder about that very wonderment i think its an interesting phenomenon. When you think about today do you compare it to any period in history . Jill lepore as a historian im interested in analogies we have a cognitive tendency to enjoy analogies to find d one thing to be like another all the time. Just in the same way and the kind of person that sees likenesses and family members, and look at a new baby and say, that looks just like great grandma someone so. Have the same time, even as they say i recognize a lot of that is minded perception, my need for familiarity. I think there has been for most of my career as a historian the question to ask historians is what time is this like.