Skip to main content
Events Calendar

Propaganda, Fake News, Mis-Information, and Critical Thinking

Friday, November 16, 2018 at 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Bend Parks and Recreation District Office, Riverbend Community Room 799 SW Columbia St. Bend, OR 9770

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Oregon (OLLI-UO) in Central Oregon, a noncredit educational program designed for people 50 or better, invites the community to a thought-provoking presentation. Anne McGee, Col USAF (ret), PhD, speaks about Propaganda, Fake News, Mis-Information, and Critical Thinking.

Our modern media environment has allowed the near-instantaneous dissemination of both fact and opinion, free of the need for editors or other intermediaries. The role of information technology in this process has far outpaced any efforts at educating citizens in recognizing attempts to manipulate audiences. When used by foreign powers, misinformation has become a form of weapon more difficult to counteract than conventional arms. A word with negative connotations for many, propaganda is nevertheless one of the defining concepts of the modern era, with implications for international and domestic audiences. 

Presenter Anne McGee, Col USAF (ret), PhD, will consider the far longer history of propaganda, its current uses, and tools for assessing the “propaganda-ness” of information.

Dr. McGee’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in linguistic analysis, and master’s degrees in Business Administration, in Airpower Art and Science and in Resourcing National Strategy, and an interdisciplinary Doctorate from Georgetown University. She is an MIT Seminar XXI Fellow and a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and of the US Air Force Command and Staff College.

Colonel McGee’s career as a military strategist spans over 30 years, including service at many different levels within the Department of Defense.  From 2000-2003, she served in the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon, followed by 3 years teaching military strategy, economics and information operations at the National Defense University. Most recently she served as a Strategy Analyst for the Defense Institutional Reform Initiative, educating the civilian staffs of emerging democracies on and of the US Air Force Command and Staff College.               

This is a free, special lecture open to the public. Please invite guests to attend; no preregistration required.