Ethical Reading Partner Forum: The challenges of misinformation

Misinformation has always been a problem. However, on outlets with no fact checking, now malicious misinformation replicates at a scale no one could have anticipated. People who agree on little else agree that misinformation distorts people’s understanding of politicians, policies, opportunities, threats, and even our health. Its influence on decision making, universally bemoaned, is among the very most serious problems of our time.

In this session, the University of Reading’s Maxime Lepoutre—an expert on democracy, free speech, and misinformation—will discuss the threats posed by misinformation and how to deal with these threats. Commentators will be Thames Valley Police’s Colin Hudson and Grant Thornton’s Andy Wood. Then there will be time for questions and comments from the audience. Join us for a session on a topic of maximum importance to business, government, and the charity sector.

16:00-16:30 Arrivals, tea & coffee networking time

16:30: Introductions

16:40: Maxime Lepoutre’s presentation on misinformation

17:10: Colin Hudson’s comments

17:20: Andy Wood’s comments

17:30-18:00: Questions & comments from the audience

Dr Maxime Lepoutre - Associate Professor & Author of Democratic Speech in Divided Times

Maxime Lepoutre is an Associate Professor in political theory at the University of Reading. Prior to joining Reading, he worked as a Prize Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, and obtained a PhD in philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Democratic Speech in Divided Times (OUP, 2021), which was awarded the 2023 ECPR prize for best first book in political theory.

Colin Hudson - Thames Valley Police’s Commander

Superintendent Colin Hudson is Thames Valley Police’s Commander for the Reading area.

Andy Wood - Grant Thornton's leader in the Thames Valley

Andy Wood has been an audit partner at Grant Thornton for more than 20 years. Recently, he was the Ethics Partner role at Grant Thornton. Now he is Grant Thornton's leader in the Thames Valley.

Ethical Reading is a Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to keeping our costs as low as possible. We are a volunteer-led, virtual organisation with just two part-time staff members.

While we strive to minimise expenses, there are unavoidable costs associated with running our operations. To help cover these, we have introduced a small fee. However, if you’re unable to pay this fee, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. We’ll provide you with a discount code to fully cover the fee, ensuring accessibility for all. This session is also free for employees of our Partner organisations and Ethical Reading volunteers.

Cancellation with More Than 7 Days' Notice: Customers are entitled to a refund or may opt to transfer their booking to an alternative session. Refunds will be issued minus the non-refundable Eventbrite booking fee.

Cancellation with 7 Days' Notice or Less: No refunds will be issued for cancellations made within this timeframe.

Failure to Attend Without Prior Notice: Any fees paid will be forfeited in the event of a no-show without prior communication.

Rescheduling: Requests for rescheduling may be granted at the organiser's discretion. Approval is subject to session availability and may incur an additional fee.

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