Alternative media fight back against 'fake news'

The global war against truth rages on, but the International Network of Street Papers aren’t taking it lying down. On 30 March they’re bringing together some of Scotland’s sharpest journalists to explore how alternative forms of journalism can lead the fight against fake news.

Investigative journalist and academic Dr Eamonn O’Neill will chair a panel that includes Stuart Cosgrove; Peter Geoghegan, director of The Ferret and author of The People's Referendum; Susan Smith, editor of Third Force News; and Angela Haggerty, editor of CommonSpace.

They’ll also be joined by Tim Harris, INSP board member and founder and director of Seattle’s pioneering street paper Real Change, who will provide a view from the street paper network and the United States.

“The case for journalism has never been stronger,” argues Geoghegan. “Authoritative, sceptical reporting is an integral part of a healthy society – and a healthy democracy. But the same digital technology that is disrupting the business model on which journalism has relied on is aiding the spread of propaganda and disinformation – often for political purposes.

“There is a clear need for alternative models for funding journalism, but also alternative ways for challenging misreporting and bias. There are no easy answers but the conversations need to start now.”

The event is part of a series connected to UNCOVERED: still homeless, still an issue, the world’s first exhibition celebrating the creativity and social impact of street papers worldwide. The free exhibition, which runs until 9 April, combines the best of global street paper cover design, quotes from vendors describing the impact street papers have made on their lives, and excerpts from recent street paper interviews with famous names – including Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama – on poverty and homelessness.

The covers range from The Big Issue’s first edition in September 1991 to the front page of The Springs Echo, the world’s newest street paper published early this year in Colorado Springs by Raven Cannon, a former vendor with Real Change.

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Alternative Journalism vs ‘Alternative Facts’, 30 Mar, The Lighthouse, Glasgow, 6.30pm