Dear AIR Colleagues, ESC has two very AIR-relevant live streams this week. In a little less than two hours we'll live stream a talk from Prof. Nick Diakopoulos at Northwestern. Nick is well known for his work on algorithm auditing and the use of computers in the news. He also might reference his recently-published book, "Automating The News" (Harvard University Press, 2019). Then this Wednesday at 12pm Eastern Time we will stream Prof. Sasha Constanza-Chock (MIT) talking about their new book "Design Justice: Community-led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need." Since these are live streams and hopefully recordings later, please feel free to circulate this email if you know of an appropriate audience for these two talks! I've concatenated the two relevant emails below so the formatting is a little messy. Just keep scrolling! Alternately, here are two links: Algorithms and the News: http://esc.umich.edu/event/nicholas-diakopoulos-algorithms-and-the-news/ Design Justice: http://esc.umich.edu/event/sasha-costanza-chock-design-justice-community-led... Both of them might also be on this mailing list. Not sure. If so: Hello! Christian ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Christian Sandvig <csandvig@umich.edu> Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2020 at 10:32 AM Subject: TODAY: Nicholas Diakopoulos: Algorithms and the News (3:30pm, 340 West Hall) To: ESC Center <esc-center@umich.edu> --- DAY/TIME March 9, 2020 @ 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Times are shown in Eastern Time LOCATION 340 West Hall 1085 S University Ave Ann Arbor, MI 48109 United States FOR REMOTE PARTICIPANTS Video from this talk will be streamed LIVE. To access the live stream, click: https://midas.umich.edu/seminar-stream/ during the event time. TITLE The Role of Algorithmic Intermediaries in Shaping Attention to News ABSTRACT As people seek news information online, platforms like Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and other news aggregators mediate and influence a huge portion of human attention, acting as algorithmic gatekeepers and curators. But as private platforms, there are few public details about how the algorithms of these information intermediaries serve to drive public exposure and salience of news information. What types and sources of news are made available and prioritized, what’s the quality of that information, and are there diverse perspectives represented in the algorithmic curation of major platforms? This talk will address these questions by presenting the results of several audit studies of algorithmic news intermediaries. These studies begin to shed light on the role such intermediaries play in impacting human attention towards the news. Implications for platform power, governance, and the economic health and competitiveness in the larger news ecosystem will be discussed. SPEAKER BIO Nicholas Diakopoulos (http://www.nickdiakopoulos.com/) is an Assistant Professor in Communication Studies and Computer Science (by courtesy) at Northwestern University where he directs the Computational Journalism Lab. He is also a Tow Fellow at Columbia University School of Journalism as well as Associate Professor II at the University of Bergen Department of Information Science and Media Studies. His research focuses on computational journalism, including aspects of automation and algorithms in news production, algorithmic accountability and transparency, and social media in news contexts. He is the author of Automating the News: How Algorithms are Rewriting the Media, published by Harvard University Press in 2019. Recently he was a resident researcher in the Computational Political Journalism Lab at the Washington Post. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his Sc.B. degree in Computer Engineering from Brown University. This event is organized by the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) and co-sponsored by ESC. --- See this event listing on the Web: http://esc.umich.edu/event/nicholas-diakopoulos-algorithms-and-the-news/ ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Christian Sandvig <csandvig@umich.edu> Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2020 at 1:32 PM Subject: Wednesday, noon: "Design Justice" with Sasha Constanza-Chock (+ live stream, book signing) To: ESC Center <esc-center@umich.edu> --- Design Justice DATE/TIME/LOCATION *March 11, 2020 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST* Koessler Room, Michigan League 911 North University Ave Ann Arbor, MI 48109 United States A light lunch will be provided. For Remote Participants Video from this talk *will be streamed LIVE. *Please find the link to the youtube video stream *here. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_-NznZ5c24&feature=youtu.be>* Abstract In this talk, Dr. Costanza-Chock presents an overview of their new book, Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need, published by the MIT Press in 2020. The book is an exploration of how we might re-imagine design to be led by marginalized communities as a tool to help dismantle structural inequality, advance collective liberation, and support ecological survival. More information about the book can be found at https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/design-justice. Speaker Bio Sasha Costanza-Chock (pronouns: they/them or she/her) is a researcher, designer, educator, and media-maker whose work focuses on networked social movements, transformative media organizing, and design justice. They are currently Associate Professor of Civic Media at MIT and Faculty Associate at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Their new book, Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need <https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/design-justice>, was published by the MIT Press in 2020. Sasha is a board member of Allied Media Projects ( alliedmedia.org) and a Steering Committee member of the Design Justice Network (designjustice.org). The talk will be followed by a *Book Signing* with Dr. Sasha Constanza-Chock: 1:30 - 2:15pm Conference Room C Michigan League Books have been pre-ordered for purchase with UM Union Barnes & Noble. Books can be purchased in store before the event and at the event. Please note that book purchases at the event can only be made via cash or check. --- See this event listing on the Web: http://esc.umich.edu/event/sasha-costanza-chock-design-justice-community-led... More information about ESC: The Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing: http://esc.umich.edu/ <http://esc.umich.edu/> Please note our other exciting events remaining this term: Mar 9: Nicholas Diakopoulos: Algorithms and the News (*) Mar 11: Sasha Costanza-Chock: Design Justice (*) Mar 13: ESC POD: Graduate Student Mixer Mar 31: Shoshana Zuboff: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism Apr 3: ESC POD: Faculty Mixer Apr 9-10: Science, Technology, and the Carceral State Apr 17: How to Do Feminist Robotics (*) (*) - We will live stream and record whenever possible. An asterisk means we plan to live stream. -------- ESC is generously supported by the School of Information; the Center for Political Studies at the Institute for Social Research; and the Department of Communication & Media in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan.