Seeking Truth in a Post-Truth Era: A conference call with NIF grantee The Whistle’s Boaz Rakocz and media consultant Mia Bengal.
With false news dominating the recent US election and Israel in the middle of an investigation over the PM’s inappropriate deals with powerful media figures, we try and understand the phenomenon of false news and how together we can push for transparency, fact-checking and accountability.
To join this call, please email atira@uknif.org
Joining us on the call are:
Boaz Rakocz, CEO and Founder of The Whistle – Independent and Accurate Media For Israel: An NIF grantee, The Whistle’s mission is to act as the referee for truth in the Israeli public discourse. This new NGO works to hold media professionals accountable to truth-telling and bridge citizens to their media outlets. With Israel’s press demoted for the first time ever to ‘partly free’ (Freedom House, 2016) the need for factually accurate and unbiased reporting has never been greater. The Whistle works in real-time, using a team of experienced journalists to fact-check and assess the truth of emerging news stories. You can view a brief presentation about The Whistle in this short video clip.
Boaz Rakocz holds degrees from Columbia University and Hebrew University and previously served as CEO at The Social Guard (Hamishmar Hachevrati), an NGO which works to maintain a constant civic presence in the Knesset to better monitor Members of Knesset’s activity and inform the public of their work.
Mia Bengal: A highly experienced journalist and independent media consultant, Mia has served as senior consultant to former Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni and as the strategic communication consultant to the Meretz party.
She wrote for Maariv newspaper between 2005-2012, and co-presented the TV news programme Erev Hadash together with Dan Margalit between 2008-2011.
NIF UK Chief Executive Adam Ognall will be chairing the call.
You will receive technical details and dial-in options (either on PC or phone) in advance of the call.
Places are limited.