Global Disinformation in a Post-Moderation World: Symposium Opening Plenary

Hybrid

Ellen McCarthy, Suzanne Nossel, James Warren, and Leslie Vinjamuri discuss misinformation in this partner event with Northwestern University and the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America.

photograph of person's hands holding a smart phone

Jan

Jenny Kane / AP

Speakers

Ellen McCarthy
Suzanne Nossel
James Warren
Leslie Vinjamuri

Date and Time

Jan 22: 5:15 - 6:45 pm CST

Doors Open: 5:00 PM

Location

Chicago Council Conference Center, 130 E Randolph Street; or via YouTube

Who Can Attend

For All

REGISTRATION

This event is open to the public.

About This Event

The rules of the information game are changing. Social media giants are abandoning content moderation while the US government shutters key counter-disinformation programs, ushering in a "post-moderation" era where individuals must navigate misinformation with far less institutional support. How do we sustain trust when platforms retreat from accountability? What tools can counter disinformation when governments withdraw funding? And how do we build resilient information ecosystems through collaboration across sectors?

Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and Center for Communication & Public Policy have organized a symposium co-sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America to convene global experts and practitioners from industry, public policy, academia, and civil society to address these urgent questions.

Register here to join us for the symposium’s opening plenary at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on Thursday, January 22, and register via Eventbrite to join the full-day program at the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs on Friday, January 23.

About the Speakers

Ellen McCarthy

Founder & CEO, Trust in Media Cooperative; Former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence & Research

Ellen McCarthy is founder and CEO of the Trust in Media Cooperative and a national security professional with extensive government and private sector experience. She served as assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research from 2018 to 2020, overseeing intelligence analysis and supporting senior policymakers on foreign policy matters.

Suzanne Nossel

Lester Crown Nonresident Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy and International Order

Suzanne Nossel, principal of Smart Power Strategies and a leading voice on free expression issues, stepped down at the end of 2024 as CEO of PEN America. She is the author of "Dare to Speak" (2020) and "Is Free Speech Under Threat" (2024) and serves on Meta's global oversight board. She previously held roles at Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA, and at the State Department. She joined the Council in 2025 as a Lester Crown nonresident senior fellow for US foreign policy and international order.

James Warren

Executive Editor, NewsGuard

James Warren is executive editor of NewsGuard. He previously served as chief media writer at the Poynter Institute, where he authored the "Warren Report" newsletter, and as Washington bureau chief for the New York Daily News.

Leslie Vinjamuri

President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She brings nearly 30 years of experience working at the intersection of international affairs, research, policy, and public engagement.

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