Fake News vs. Real News – and how to tell the difference
Sometimes the stories are made up, like "Pope Francis endorses Donald Trump." Sometimes they're politicians' spin, like dueling claims of lawmakers in Tallahassee and Gov. Rick Scott over money for economic development. And sometimes, they're flat-out lies. As more and more of us expand our news sources – going beyond newspapers and television to websites, Facebook and Twitter -- we're running into more and more stories that raise questions. Fake News? Real news? Something in between? And how do you tell the difference?
Join the First Amendment Foundation for an evening with professionals -- a reporter from PolitiFact, which won a Pulitzer Prize for its fact-checking, and a newspaper and a television editor -- who'll talk about what you can do to identify where a story comes from, and what’s behind it.
Tickets: $15 [Click the REGISTER NOW button at the bottom of this page to register.]
Panelists: Dana Banker, Managing Editor of the Sun Sentinel, Tom O'Hara, FAU professor and former FAF president, and Amy Sherman, Miami Herald Reporter and PolitiFact contributor.
Moderator: Michael Putney, WPLG Local 10
Bios:
Dana Banker
Dana Banker is managing editor of the Sun Sentinel of South Florida. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years, reporting on beats ranging from police and county government to education and the environment. Prior editing roles include Miami Bureau Chief and Metro Editor, during which she directed hurricane coverage twice honored as a Pulitzer finalist and investigative coverage recognized with the Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service in 2013. Banker, a Tampa native, graduated from the University of Florida and was a Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Michigan.
Tom O'Hara
Tom O’Hara is a veteran journalist and journalism professor. He is currently a visiting professor at Florida Atlantic University. From 2012 to 2014, he was the editor of Context Florida, a website about Florida and national politics. From 2010 to 2012, he was a senior foreign editor with The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi. Between 2008 and 2010, he taught journalism at Ohio State University. From November 2000 to September 2007, he was the managing editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. Before that he worked for The Palm Beach Post for 14 years, the last 11 as managing editor. Between 1972 and 1976, he was a reporter for the Gainesville Sun, Orlando Sentinel, Daytona Beach News Journal and the Miami Herald. He graduated with honors from Rutgers University-Camden with a bachelor’s degree in Humanities. He has a master’s degree in Communications from the University of Florida.
Amy Sherman
Amy Sherman has been a reporter for the Miami herald since 2004 and helped launch PolitiFact Florida in 2010. She lives in Fort Lauderdale with her two girls who ask factually based questions such as "how does Santa know we are Jewish? Did you text him?"
