Experts at Roger Tatarian Symposium will discuss ways to put ‘fake news in the rear view mirror’

Stephen Engelberg, editor-in-chief of ProPublica, will be the keynote speaker at a major conference at Fresno State on fake news and the media. The Roger Tatarian Symposium, “Putting Fake News in the Rear View Mirror: How the Media Can Win Back the Trust of all Americans,” will be held at 5 p.m. Feb. 26. The program is free and open to the public.

Fresno State’s Department of Media, Communications and Journalism, the College of Arts and Humanities and the Institute for Media and Public Trust will co-host the symposium. Timothy Drachlis, the Roger Tatarian Chair, has pulled together the program. The symposium will also include an expert panel of top journalists discussing fake news, misinformation and other media issues.

Engelberg has been editor-in-chief of ProPublica since 2013 and previously worked for The Oregonian in Portland, and The New York Times. He is a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board and the Board of Directors of the American Society of News Editors. ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism on a range of topics, including government and politics, business, criminal justice, the environment, education, health care, immigration, and technology.

The media panel will include Sewell Chan, deputy managing editor of the Los Angeles Times; Juliet Williams, Northern California news editor for The Associated Press, and Scott Wilson, senior national correspondent for the Washington Post.

“A large portion of the American public says it no longer believes what is written in the mainstream media,” Drachlis said. “The symposium will explore why this skepticism exists and examine ways journalists may be able to bridge this trust gap.”

The Roger Tatarian Endowed Chair in Journalism was established in honor of the late Fresno State professor and former editor in chief of United Press International. The Roger Tatarian Symposium is held annually on campus.

Program details: Feb. 26, 2019, 5-7 p.m., Satellite Student Union. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.

You should also plan to attend the April 9 seminar at Fresno State on science and environmental reporting. Details coming.