Misinformation spreads

Truth, Democracy, and Misinformation | AAPAE Online Zoom Workshop | 17 Nov 2026

Registration is now open

In an era shaped by accelerating technological change, social fragmentation, political polarisation, and growing distrust in institutions, questions surrounding truth, misinformation, and democratic legitimacy have become some of the defining ethical challenges of our time. From artificial intelligence and algorithmic influence to climate communication, public health, energy transitions, media ecosystems, and governance, misinformation (unknowingly shared untruths) and disinformation (deliberate lies) increasingly shape how societies understand reality, negotiate difference, and make collective decisions.

What are the ethical dimensions of misinformation and its implications for democracy, public trust, governance, and social cohesion across diverse sectors and industries?

This online workshop seeks to explore not only the harms associated with misinformation, disinformation, and epistemic manipulation, but also the broader ethical questions surrounding truth, knowledge, communication, responsibility, and democratic participation in increasingly complex and contested social environments.

The event is on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent to attendees prior to the event. Tickets for the event are $40.00AUD. The Workshop is free for AAPAE Members ($90 full; $30 concessional). Tickets are available at https://events.humanitix.com/aapae-misinformation-workshop.

Keynotes

  • Professor Joanne B. Ciulla (USA) ‘Anticipatory Obedience: Living in the Autocrat's Reality’
  • Dr Hugo Mercier (France) ‘Not Born Yesterday: Why humans are less gullible than we think’

Q&A

  • Mike Steer (SARDI) ‘When Uncertainty Becomes a Vacuum: Misinformation, Trust, and the Ethics of Communicating What We Don’t Know’ (facilitated by Larelle Bossi)

Papers

  • Brendan Shea (USA) ‘Trustworthy Institutions Stick Their Necks Out: Prediction, Accommodation, and the Ethics of Public Health Communication’
  • Alexandra Benitez (USA) ‘Experts in a Post-Truth World: A Potential Case for Epistemic Injustice’
  • Jacyln Rekis (Canada) ‘Democratic Understanding’
  • Yifan Li (UK) ‘From Aligned Outcomes to Conditions of Judgment: AI, Deep Disagreement, and Democratic Public Discourse’
  • Eva Pöll (Germany) ‘How to Handle Conspiracy Theories?’
  • Gabriele Giacomini (Italy) ‘The Principle of Habeas Mentem and the Democratic Harms of Digital Misinformation’

Convenors

  • Jacqueline Boaks, Curtin University
  • Larelle Bossi, Griffith University
  • Hugh Breakey, Griffith University (workshop enquiries: h.breakey@griffith.edu.au)