10 AM – 11:10 AM
In the two years since the 2016 American presidential election, fake news and false or misleading headlines on social media have become a preoccupation of policy makers and journalists alike. And while fake news is hardly new, its distribution using modern tools like social media and bots amplifies its influence. Yet these same tools help level the playing field, allowing Canadians to express political views to audiences unreachable in a print-only world. In this panel, we will explore the regulatory challenge of keeping Canadian elections both fair and free.
Speakers:
Kevin Chan, Facebook Canada
Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada Research Chair in Social Media Data Stewardship
David Skok, The Logic
Kevin Chan
Facebook Canada
Kevin Chan is a Global Director and Head of Public Policy at Facebook Canada, and in this capacity engages on a wide range of Internet issues including election integrity, misinformation, freedom of expression, safety, and Indigenous culture and content online. A Governor of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and a member of the 2017 Selection Board of the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, he also sits on the advisory board of McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy and serves on the boards of directors of MediaSmarts and Kids Help Phone. He is a recipient of the Public Service Award of Excellence, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal, which recognizes Canadians for exceptional deeds that bring honour to our country.
Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd
Canada Research Chair in Social Media Data Stewardship
Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd is a Canada Research Chair in Social Media Data Stewardship, Associate Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University, and Director of Research at the Social Media Lab. He is also a Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists; a co-editor of a multidisciplinary journal on Big Data and Society; and a founding co-chair of the International Conference on Social Media and Society. His work seeks to examine how social media platforms are changing the ways in which people and organizations communicate, collaborate and disseminate information and how these changes impact the social, economic and political norms and structures of modern society.
David Skok
The Logic
David Skok is the founder and editor-in-chief of the The Logic, a subscription news outlet that provides in-depth reporting and analysis on the innovation economy in Canada and around the world. Before founding The Logic, David was the associate editor and head of editorial strategy at the Toronto Star.
Previously, David served as the managing editor and vice-president of digital for the Boston Globe, where he led the 145-year-old organization’s newsroom and digital transformation. Prior to that, David was the director of digital for Global News, where he launched globalnews.ca, a national Canadian news site.
David is a leading thinker on digital transformation in media and, alongside Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen, co-published “Breaking News,” a report that applies the lessons of disruptive innovation to the media industry. David is on the advisory board of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, and has served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes in journalism.