OXFORD, Miss. – So-called “fake news” has been a widespread topic of discussion since the 2016 election cycle, and news organizations, businesses and government bodies have accelerated their efforts to identify and discredit false information being spread through social media and other electronic means.
On Thursday (Feb. 15), NewsCheck principal Robert Hendrickson will present “Using Blockchain, AI and Human Review to Combat Fake News.” Free and open to the public, the lecture is set for 7 p.m. in the Overby Center Auditorium, sponsored by the university’s interdisciplinary minor program in digital media studies.
Hendrickson and members of his team plan to share how his company’s content management solution empowers consumers to know when to trust content, and to be confident to share with others, said Robert Cummings, the university’s executive director of academic innovation and associate professor of writing and rhetoric.
“This event is an exciting opportunity for the University of Mississippi,” Cummings said. “Fake news is an existential threat to journalism and public relations, and of interest to students in those fields”
Hendrickson and his team started NewsCheck, a startup business that helps clients combat fake news, in 2017. The company uses blockchain technology, which involves a distributed database stored on multiple servers that provides a secure, traceable means of recording transactions, storing information and more.
Most famous for its use by Bitcoin cryptocurrency, blockchain is drawing attention for its potential in a variety of other fields. Hendrickson’s talk will allow Ole Miss students and other attendees to learn more about blockchain technology and how it can affect the future of journalism.
For more information about the UM interdisciplinary minor program in digital media studies, go to https://catalog.olemiss.edu/dig-media-st.