EXPERTS DiRESTA & HENDRIX HEADLINE ELECTION INTERFERENCE FORUM

(Yonkers, NY) - In his press conference last week, Robert Mueller said, "...there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. And that allegation deserves the attention of every American." And, the Mueller Report made it clear that the Russians, through their social media arm, the Internet Research Agency (IRA) carried out a massive social media disinformation campaign to attack our nation and undermine our elections - the cornerstone of our democracy. Still the Trump administration has taken little to no steps secure and protect our 2020 elections from ongoing Russian attacks.

Now, three local activist groups - Indivisible New Rochelle, Indivisible Westchester and NYCD16-Indivisible - are hosting a forum in Yonkers with disinformation expert Renee DiResta and social media expert Justin Hendrix at the Yonkers Library on Saturday, June 8th. “Disinformation has turned social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter into very real threats to democracy,” said Indivisible New Rochelle’s co-lead Kim Snyder. “With the 2020 elections looming, and Trump’s GOP unwilling to act, social media literacy is an essential defense we must develop. This forum is a step in building the knowledge base, so we can effectively fight back as an engaged and informed community of citizen activists.”

Renee DiResta studies narrative manipulation as the director of research at New Knowledge. DiResta is also a Mozilla fellow on media, misinformation and trust, and is affiliated with the Berkman-Klein Center at Harvard and the Data Science Institute at Columbia University. DiResta has also co-authored The Disinformation Report for the US Senate Intelligence Committee and her writing and analysis have been featured in several media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Bloomberg, Fast Company, Politico and many more. DiResta has appeared on CNN and on podcasts with Joe Rogan and Sam Harris. NYCD16-Indivisible’s Tara Herman said, “Renee DiResta has been tracking and studying foreign social media activity in the U.S. since the Obama administration. Now, given what we have learned from the Mueller Report, it’s critical for every American to hear about her work.”

Justin Hendrix is the Executive Director of the NYC Media Lab and an expert on emerging media technology. Hendrix is also the founder of AuthenticElections.org.

“The F.B.I. has already warned us that Russia is determined to meddle in the 2020 U.S. election.” said Shannon Powell, co-founder of Indivisible Westchester. “Sadly, we can’t depend on the President or our social media companies to protect us from foreign or homegrown disinformation. That’s why this forum is important - people need to know what disinformation looks like and how to defend against it.”

The forum will feature opening statements by the experts, followed by a Q&A period. Attendees should RSVP at http://bit.ly/ElectionInterference.

For interviews with Justin Hendrix, Indivisible leaders or other media inquiries please see media contact below:

Media Contact | Donny Khan | media@indivisiblewestchester.org | 914.564.5769