Republic of Lies: How Conspiracy Theories Took Over American Public Life

As part of the fourth annual Creative Thought Forum at the School for Advanced Research, journalist and author Anna Merlan presents an online presentation and live Q&A.
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Conspiracy theories have always been a factor in the public discourse of the United States and many other countries. But the past four years have shown the new power that lies and disinformation have, especially electoral and medical conspiracy theories. As we move forward, what role should we expect those types of disinformation and lies to play in our discourse? And how - if at all - can we fight them?
About the speaker:
Anna Merlan is a journalist specializing in conspiracy theories, subcultures, new religious movements, crime, politics and women’s lives. Merlan is a reporter at the Features Desk at Vice News. She was previously a senior reporter with the Special Projects Desk, the investigative division of Gizmodo Media Group, and a staff writer at Jezebel, the Village Voice and the Dallas Observer. Learn more about her 2019 book, Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power.
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