Last week I mentioned PEN America's Banned Book Index. I had forgotten, until I received an email the afternoon before that column was published, that I had participated last year in a survey of more than 1,000 journalists on dealing with disinformation.
No, not the disinformation that my feline charge Charlie keeps trying to feed me. No, Charlie, your mom didn't say that you get unlimited outside time and treats. I have enough to answer for since I got you hooked, however unintentionally, on those catnip treats.
PEN America, founded in 1922, "is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others," according to its website.
While there is and should be wide latitude to create and access a wide variety of reading material, disinformation--content created and distributed with the intent to deceive--poses special problems for journalists.
PEN America reported, "Professional journalists, editors, and news organizations that provide credible reporting and promote informed civic engagement stand as a bulwark against the onslaught of disinformation being injected into public discourse. It is from their newspapers, websites, and broadcasters that communities can expect to access reliable information and understand the debates that...
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