Info Session – Czech Republic: The Struggle of the Free Press – Fake News and Conspiracy Theories

This program will give students an in-depth look at the crisis facing democracy and the free press, including how readers and journalists alike can combat fake news and conspiracy theories. We’ll also look at press freedom rankings by country and why the U.S. is dropping in the rankings while the Czech Republic, a democracy for only 33 years,  jumped 20 spots in just the past year. Why should we care? It affects politics, economics and warfare—on a global scale. We’ll tour Radio Free Europe, responsible for dismantling communist propaganda, especially from Russia, and distributing factual information to Ukraine and other countries desperate to know what’s really going on where they live. We’ll also hear from Czech journalists about how they report news and handle attempts at government influence, digging into Czechia’s communist roots. It all takes place in a city often ranked one of the most beautiful in the world, with its castles, cathedrals and cobblestone streets.