LIB120 instructors present “Truth or Truthiness? Political Advertising and You” on March 26, 2008 in East Hall Auditorium from 4:30 to 6pm. This information issues forum will explore how political advertising on television affects elections on the national and local levels.

Panelists Scott MacKay, political writer for the Providence Journal and Maureen Moakley, Professor of Political Science at URI, will discuss the intent, the effects, and the “truthiness” behind the rhetoric of vintage ads as well as those from recent Rhode Island elections and the current presidential primary races.

Truthiness, Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2006, is defined as “truth that comes from the gut, not books” or “the quality of preferring concepts of facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true.” The term was coined by Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central: http://www.colbertnation.com/?p=479. It is a term that describes political advertising in 2008.

The audience will see examples of political ads and will be encouraged to join in the discussion with the panelists. This forum is free and open to the public and is sponsored by LIB120 Introduction to Information Literacy - http://www.uri.edu/library/lib120/