Death of the Experts

Every day, we entrust our lives to experts. However, because we have access to unlimited online sources — such as self-authored blogs, Wikipedia and WebMD — there is a trend toward “self-proclaimed experts” drowning out the voices of qualified professionals. Technology allows anyone to post anything without having to defend their “facts.” Even through the coronavirus pandemic, true expert voices are being eroded. How do you balance freedom of speech with accuracy and quality? What can professionals do to defend themselves when emotionally charged accusations are used to attack their credibility, often without scientific evidence? With degree mills offering easy credentials, websites hawking unproven cures and elected officials polarizing the issues, how do you arrive at a best course of action, especially in times of crisis?

Panel Moderator:  Gary Meints, MSU College of Natural and Applied Science

Panel Producer:  Lisa McEowen, MSU Meyer Library

• Live closed captioning is provided.