Navigating the Infodemic: Public Safety, Health & the Environment with the Center for Communication

​A panel of experts including Melanie Evans, Sarit A. Golub, Andrea Love, and Kyle Pope will share how reliable scientific studies and public health information can successfully reach the public and counteract the torrent of disinformation.

This event will take place in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on the 7th Floor.

Social media allows anyone to dole out dubious advice on climate change and other vital areas of health and safety. With medical and science information readily available, it’s easy to be vulnerable to misinformation and be put at risk, especially when the message is fear-based. A panel of experts shares how reliable scientific studies and public health information can successfully reach the public and counteract the torrent of disinformation. Learn how you might find meaningful media career opportunities in this crucial area of public discourse.

Panelists include:

Melanie Evans, Reporter & Producer, Tradeoffs
Sarit A. Golub, PhD, MPH, Distinguished Professor, Psychology, Hunter College (CUNY); Director, Hunter Alliance for Research and Translation (HART)
Andrea Love, PhD, Immunologist and Microbiologist; Founder, Immunologic
Kyle Pope, Co-Founder, Covering Climate Now

With moderator Micah Loewinger, Co-Host, On the Media.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Melanie Evans is a reporter and producer for Tradeoffs, a nonprofit news organization that reports on health care's toughest choices. She joined Tradeoffs in 2024 from The Wall Street Journal, where she spent eight years covering the business of healthcare. She previously worked for Modern Healthcare and the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune. Her coverage has won awards from the New York Press Club, Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing and Association of Health Care Journalists. She lives in New York.

Sarit A. Golub, PhD, MPH, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Dr. Golub is a social psychologist with interdisciplinary training in public health and implementation science. Her NIH-funded research has been instrumental in improving the quality and equity of prevention programs and messaging, moving the field toward more person-centered, affirming, and psychologically-motivating communication strategies. Dr. Golub directs the Hunter Alliance for Research & Translation (HART), which conducts research and training in collaboration with health departments, training institutes, and capacity building programs across the United States.

Andrea Love, PhD is an immunologist and microbiologist and works full-time in life sciences biotechnology. She is an award-winning science communicator and the founder of ImmunoLogic, a science education and consulting organization. Andrea is the Executive Director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation, authors the column,"Inside Immunity", for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine, and teaches CME courses for medical professionals.

Kyle Pope is the co-founder of Covering Climate Now, the world's largest media collaborative. Before launching the non-profit -- devoted to helping newsrooms produce better climate coverage -- Kyle worked for decades as a reporter and editor. He has served as editor and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review, a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, editor in chief of the New York Observer, and deputy editor of Conde Nast Portfolio magazine. His work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and elsewhere.

Micah Loewinger (Moderator) is co-host of WNYC’s On the Media, a nationally-syndicated public radio show that can be heard on over 400 stations across the country. His investigation into Zello, a walkie-talkie app used for recruitment and organizing by far-right militia groups in the lead up to January 6th, won the John M. Higgins Award for Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting and was featured on 60 Minutes. His story about a Ukrainian Twitch streamer's escape from war was a finalist for Third Coast's Best News Feature. His piece on a Syrian refugee camp in a Swedish Wild West theme park was a finalist for a Livingston Award. His series on the collapse of digital media was a finalist for a Mirror Award for Best Commentary. In 2019, The New York Times wrote about his experiment on the use of restorative justice in moderating the internet’s largest Christian forum. He has been featured as a guest on Marketplace, HowSound, What Next with Mary Harris, and The Investigators with Diana Swain. Loewinger’s radio and written work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, NPR, Death Sex and Money, and Gothamist. He began working at On the Media in 2016, first as a producer and then On the Media’s first staff reporter. His investigative and human-interest stories have focused on political extremism, internet culture, and the evolution of the news industry.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES

In-Person

• Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

CONNECT WITH US

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

Sign up for our e-newsletters to stay up to date on upcoming events and Library offerings.

Please submit all press inquiries to Connor Goodwin at least 48 hours before the event: email connorgoodwin@nypl.org.
 

SUPPORT THE LIBRARY

The New York Public Library's free services and resources are made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library. Join this group of Library lovers and take advantage of special membership benefits, like invitations to members-only virtual events, discounts at the Library Shop, and more. Join now.

All programs are subject to change or cancellation. 

Presented with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.The event will be recorded and distributed through NYC Media. The Center for Communication and NYC Media will be in control of the transmission, recording, and distribution of the event.

The 7 Stories Up Series at SNFL is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

​