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Here at Tyee HQ in Vancouver, we’re looking forward to a fun night out with our friends and supporters on Thursday, May 21, when Reality Check LIVE takes place in the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at the Simon Fraser University Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
The evening features a keynote presentation by award-winning investigative journalist and Tyee contributor Rachel Gilmore, who will draw upon her recent reporting to talk about what drives division, and how disinformation is sown.
“So much of what drives division and the spread of disinformation comes down to the ways we’ve become siloed and atomized from one another online,” Gilmore told me in a recent interview.
“Gathering in person, in the face of that reality, is essential. It reminds us of what’s real, the fact that we are real, and pulls us away from the ease with which we can dehumanize one another online.”
“Creating community is an essential part of combating disinformation,” she added. “This event is one step in doing exactly that.”
Gilmore hopes attendees will come away from the event with a greater depth of understanding of how people become radicalized, and what we can all do to respond.
“I’ve learned a lot of lessons from infiltrating extremist spaces over the years, and I’m optimistic there are concrete ways we can disrupt the spiral of disinformation, institutional mistrust and bad actors who take advantage of the fear and loneliness of others,” she said.
“Above all, I hope they leave with a feeling of hope.”
Following the keynote, This Is Vancolour host Mo Amir and Tyee senior editor and reporter Jen St. Denis will join Gilmore onstage to talk about how to respond to the rise of digital disinformation in a lively, thought-provoking conversation hosted by Tyee associate editor Harrison Mooney.
Amir is excited about the community-building potential of Reality Check LIVE.
“I hope we can realize that a lot of our concerns and anxieties are shared, so no one is truly alone,” he said.
“But most of all, I hope it inspires others to continue the conversations in their own circles, so we can take even just one more step towards gaining greater awareness of the influence that the digital world has on us, in order to reclaim more of our autonomous critical thinking without having to go completely off the grid.”
Reality Check LIVE will feature a musical performance by Francis Baptiste.
Your event ticket will also get you access to a post-event reception featuring light refreshments and a cash bar at nearby Save on Meats at 43 W. Hastings St.
The Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema is a 350-seat theatre located on the third floor of SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at 149 W. Hastings St. in Vancouver. The venue is accessible by elevator or stairway, and there are two wheelchair-accessible seating areas at the top of the room near the third-floor doors.
Think of Reality Check LIVE as a fun, in-person extension of The Tyee’s Reality Check project, which we launched last year and raised funds for in our year-end member drive in December. Reader contributions pay for reporting, editing and legal review.
Reader contributions continue to sustain our work now. Consider becoming a Tyee Builder today.
The Tyee team is excited to host Gilmore in Vancouver for Reality Check LIVE.
“I am desperately hoping to see a whale!” she said of her coming trip to the West Coast. “I hear they’ve been around lately and I’ve always wanted to see one with my own eyes. Fingers crossed!”
Reality Check LIVE takes place Thursday, May 21, at the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema in the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at 149 W. Hastings St. in Vancouver. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the event starts at 7 p.m. Attendees are invited to a post-talk reception at nearby Save on Meats at 43 W. Hastings St., where there will be light refreshments and a cash bar. Tickets are available online. ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
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