Misinformation has always been a problem. However, on outlets with no fact checking, now malicious misinformation replicates at a scale no one could have anticipated. People who agree on little else agree that misinformation distorts people’s understanding of politicians, policies, opportunities, threats, and even our health. Its influence on decision making, universally bemoaned, is among the most serious problems of our time.
In this session, the University of Reading’s Maxime Lepoutre – an expert on democracy, free speech, and misinformation – will discuss the threats posed by misinformation and how to deal with these threats.
Thames Valley Police Commander Colin Hudson and Grant Thornton’s Andy Wood will be joining us to give their perspectives on the issues raised. Then there will be time for questions and comments.
Join us for this session on a topic of maximum importance to business, government and the charity sector.
Agenda
16:00-16:30 Arrivals, tea & coffee networking time
16:30: Introductions
16:40: Maxime Lepoutre’s presentation on misinformation
17:10: Colin Hudson’s comments
17:20: Andy Wood’s comments
17:30-18:00: Questions and comments
About our panellists
Dr Maxime Lepoutre – Associate Professor & Author of Democratic Speech in Divided Times
Maxime Lepoutre is an Associate Professor in political theory at the University of Reading.
Prior to joining Reading, he worked as a Prize Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, and obtained a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.
He is the author of Democratic Speech in Divided Times (OUP, 2021), which was awarded the 2023 ECPR prize for best first book in political theory.
Colin Hudson – Thames Valley Police Commander
Colin Hudson is currently Superintendent for operational policing in the West of Berkshire.
Colin joined Thames Valley Police having had a career in science and technology. He started his working life serving as a physicist for the Royal Navy, then moved into wireless telecoms working in engineering roles.
He has served as Area Commander for the police areas of Reading and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. He has also headed up Roads Policing for Thames Valley and Hampshire.
Colin is a public order and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) commander and has commanded the police presence at events ranging from Royal Ascot to state visits and protests.
Andy Wood – Grant Thornton’s leader in the Thames Valley
Andy has been a partner at Grant Thornton UK LLP for 23 years.
He has been with the firm for over 30 years and, during that time, he has held several leadership roles across the firm’s regional practice, working primarily in London and Yorkshire.
Andy relocated from Yorkshire to Reading to help drive the Firm’s growth in the Thames Valley.
An audit partner, Andy works with a wide range of private capital businesses across a range of sectors in the region.
He is a trained coach, and the Vice Chair and Chair of the Finance & General Purposes Committee at Woodhouse Grove School in Yorkshire, where his two sons went to school.
A note on the fee
Ethical Reading is a Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to keeping our costs as low as possible. We are a volunteer-led, virtual organisation with just two part-time staff members.
While we strive to minimise expenses, there are unavoidable costs associated with running our operations. To help cover these, we have introduced a small fee. However, if you’re unable to pay this fee, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. We’ll provide you with a discount code to fully cover the fee, ensuring accessibility for all. This session is also free for employees of our Partner organisations and Ethical Reading volunteers.
