S1E85 - Steven Brill - Pallbearers for Truth?
Journalist, entrepreneur and best-selling author Steven Brill joined us to map out why opinions, disinformation and conspiracy theories have become the global death knell for truth. We spoke of why so many people no longer trust facts and Brill's own personal experience with a Russian disinformation operative. He discussed his for-profit business NewsGuard and his vested interest in exposing disinformation. We focused on false narratives from both the Right and the Left and on a young man, an Ohio State graduate, who went down the rabbit hole of the Internet and wound-up part of the violence in D.C. on January 6th. The lack of trust in the health care system and the belief in pedophilia conspiracy theories were highlighted and linked to a need for order. Brill was asked about Court TV, which was his original project, and he spoke of his regret that the trial of former President Trump was not televised. He also spoke of the inevitable worsening of our present circumstances as generative Artificial Intelligence moves forward and he provided a picture of the overall deleterious effects of programmatic advertising. We then moved on to necessary solutions with discussion of Section 230, FTC enforcement and lawsuits based on terms of service, as well as K thru 12 computer literacy education. A timely, highly engaging and illuminating dialogue!
Biography
Steven Brill is the author of the best sellers The Teamsters, America’s Bitter Pill, and Tailspin, among other books. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and other national publications. Brill is the cofounder and co-CEO of NewsGuard, which rates the reliability of news and information Web sites. He is also the founder of The American Lawyer, Brill’s Content magazine, Court TV, the CLEAR registered traveler program, and the Yale Journalism Initiative. He lives near New York City.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623364/the-death-of-truth-by-steven-brill/
Conversation recorded on June 7, 2024.