Civil Discourse Series: Social Media and Society

The conversation will take place on the online platform Zoom. A link to join will be sent to registered guests via email one hour before the start of the program.

In today’s society, news and information increasingly circulate through platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Join the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum for a conversation addressing the critical issues around social media. In a space where misinformation and bias are so common, how do we engage with each other online in a civil and informed manner? What level of control should social media platforms exert over the content shared on their platforms? Is it their responsibility to regulate or call attention to misinformation or bias in posts, images, and ads, or is it solely up to users to engage with social media critically?

Join the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum for a conversation moderated by Lata Nott, attorney and Fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum, with Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; Amy S. Mitchell, Director of Journalism Reserach at Pew Research Center; and Dave Sifry, Vice President of the Center for Technology and Society (CTS) for the Anti-Defamation League. The program will include a special introduction from Joel Schwitzer, Regional Director, AJC Dallas.

Space is limited! Please register for one ticket per device used.

About the Panelists
Jameel Jaffer is the Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Under his leadership, the Institute has filed precedent-setting litigation, undertaken major interdisciplinary research initiatives, and become an influential voice in debates about the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age. Until August 2016, Jaffer served as deputy legal director at the ACLU, where he oversaw the organization’s work on free speech, privacy, technology, national security, and international human rights. Jaffer is a graduate of Williams College, Cambridge University, and Harvard Law School.

Amy S. Mitchell is Director of Journalism Research at Pew Research Center. She is responsible for the Center’s research related to news and information, including how the public accesses, engages with and creates news, what news organizations are providing, and how technology is changing all of these elements. Mitchell is an expert in research design, methods evaluation, analysis and writing. She specializes in how technology is changing the flow of news information today and the influence of political identity on news choices. Prior to joining Pew Research Center, Mitchell was a congressional research associate at the American Enterprise Institute.

Dave Sifry is Vice President of the Center for Technology and Society (CTS) for the Anti-Defamation League. In this role, Sifry leads a team developing proactive solutions and producing cutting-edge research to protect vulnerable populations. In its efforts to advocate change at all levels of society, CTS serves as a vital resource to legislators, journalists, universities, community organizations, tech platforms and anyone who has been a target of online hate and harassment. Sifry joined ADL in 2019 after a storied career as a technology entrepreneur and executive, founding six companies including Linuxcare and Technorati.

About the Moderator
Lata Nott is an attorney with expertise in the intersection of law, technology, and expression. She is a Fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum, an organization dedicated to fostering First Amendment freedoms for all. Nott formerly was the assistant director of admissions at the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to that, she was a litigator in New York City where she maintained an active pro-bono practice focused on asylum cases and developed a proficiency in legal issues surrounding the Internet, data privacy, and cybersecurity. She graduated from the University of California, Davis, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations. She earned her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2010.

Register here.