Death of the Experts

Missouri State University invites you to attend the 17th annual Public Affairs Conference as a live virtual event Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2020! This year's public affairs theme is The Power of Voice. 

Links to all live webinar events will be listed on the Public Affairs Conference schedule website.

Every day, we entrust our lives to experts. However, because we have access to unlimited online sources — such as self-authored blogs, Wikipedia and WebMD — there is a trend toward “self-proclaimed experts” drowning out the voices of qualified professionals. Technology allows anyone to post anything without having to defend their “facts.” Even through the coronavirus pandemic, true expert voices are being eroded. How do you balance freedom of speech with accuracy and quality? What can professionals do to defend themselves when emotionally charged accusations are used to attack their credibility, often without scientific evidence? With degree mills offering easy credentials, websites hawking unproven cures and elected officials polarizing the issues, how do you arrive at a best course of action, especially in times of crisis?

Free