Visiting Lecturer from VŠEM addresses ECP Students on Fake News
As part of ECP’s regular programme of expert guest speakers, our recent visiting lecturer, Bob Kartous, came into school to speak to students in Years 3 and 4. He edits the Czech language cultural and political internet publication Britské listy https://blisty.cz/. He has also written for many Czech newspapers including Hospodářské noviny, Lidové noviny and MF Dnes. Since 2012, he has been teaching at the University of Economics and Management in Prague.
Speaking about the media’s influence on politics and society, he described what he called the ‘Post-Truth Era’ we now live in. The internet and social media have been responsible for a substantial change in communications. Mr Kartous encouraged students to challenge the impact all this has had on society, describing social media as ‘the engine of the post-truth vehicle’.
Mr Kartous illustrated his theories by citing the direct impact on our lives of world events such as Brexit, the election of Donald Trump and the migration crises. He speculated on the outcome of the Czech President election.