Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael D Rich

Political scientist Jennifer Kavanagh believes that there's more behind polarization than just the existence of opposite perspectives. In 2018, she published a report with RAND CEO Michael D. Rich that proposes a framework for understanding one of the deeper issues behind the division in our country: truth decay. In a nutshell, the phrase “truth decay” describes four different trends around facts and opinion contributing to the shift away from data: increasing disagreement around facts and data, the blurring of the lines between the two, increased influence of opinion and commentary and declining trust in key institutions.In this episode, Fred and Jennifer discuss where these trends stem from and how they're contributing to our current national landscape. Jennifer also proposes some potential strategies for combating truth decay, including how businesspeople and scholars can uniquely respond to this national issue. This discussion is part of our series on the 2021 Global Communication Report, available now at https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations/global-communication-report. For more on these topics, check out the playback of the 31st Kenneth Owler Smith Symposium at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78YQGTFQpP8 Featuring:Jennifer Kavanagh (@jekavanagh), Director of Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program at RAND Arroyo Center. Senior Political Scientist and Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate SchoolHost:Fred Cook (@fredcook), Chairman Emeritus of Golin, a global PR firm. Author of “Improvise - Unorthodox Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO” and Director of the USC Center for Public Relations Follow us: @USCCenter4PR (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram)Click here to subscribe to our newsletter Visit our website: https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations

FEATURED GUESTS Dr. Jennifer Kavanagh Jennifer is a senior political scientist. She leads RAND’s Countering Truth Decay initiative, a portfolio of projects exploring the diminishing reliance on facts and analysis in U.S. political and civil discourse. Jennifer is also the Director of the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources program in RAND’s Arroyo Center, which supports the U.S. Army. Jennifer’s research interests include the changing media landscape, the effects of the new information environment on national security, and military strategy. Jennifer is a faculty member at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and teaches research methods courses as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. While completing her Ph.D., she was a Department of Homeland Security fellow and completed a research internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Kavanagh graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in government and a minor in Russian language. She earned her Ph.D. in political science and public policy at the University of Michigan. RELATED RESOURCES Kavanagh, Jennifer. Michael D. Rich. Truth Decay. RAND Corporation. Countering Truth Decay. RAND Corporation. NACD Resource Center: Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis

In this Call with the Experts, Michael D. Rich and Jennifer Kavanagh discuss the causes and consequences of Truth Decay and how they compare with previous eras in U.S. history.