Samuel C. Spitale, the mind behind the book "How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality," will discuss how the tools of marketing and advertising have been used by media manipulators to peddle misinformation, will be the featured guest at Cherry Street Tavern, 719 Cherry St. Chattanooga, at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Mr. Spitale, a media studies expert, has trained journalism students at the State Department's
International Digital Education and Arts Program and provided keen insights into multiple new outlets, officials said.
"We tend to think of mass communication in very traditional terms," said Mr.
Spitale. "We think we know what advertising, marketing and publicity look like, but to become more savvy media consumers, we need to look at each with a wider lens, from Publicity (tea party protests, the Tour de France) to Marketing (coffee breaks, the War on Terror), to PR (vaccines linked to autism, the War on Drugs), to Branding (Family Values, Law and Order)."
Officials said, "How to Win the War on Truth is a handbook for debunking misinformation and finding the news beyond the noise. It exposes how the powerful use the tools of persuasion to influence public opinion and sell us ideas that enrich themselves at the public’s expense. It examines how these ideas impact our lives and argues that understanding this is key to making informed decisions."
Mr. Spitale has been a featured speaker at the Clinton Presidential Center’s Civic Education Institute and Student Presidential Leaders Series. He has appeared on C-SPAN’s BookTV and KRON4’s LIVE! In the Bay News magazine, on talk radio shows hosted by Tavis Smiley and Jim Engster and on the podcasts It’s All Journalism, Watching America and The Learner’s Corner.
Limited tickets include a copy of the book and the opportunity to have it signed by the author in person.
This event is presented by AAF Chattanooga and sponsored by Cherry Street Tavern.
Purchase tickets at aafchattanooga.com. Tickets are $30 for non-members, including a copy of the book, "How to Win the War on Truth"; $25 for members, including a copy of the book, "How to Win the War on Truth"; $15 for non-members, book not included; or $10 for members, book not included.