Newswise — SEASIDE, Ca., March 9, 2018 – California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) is slated to host the 16th annual Ethics and Responsible Business Forum on Wednesday March 14, 2018 from 3-5 p.m. at CSUMB’s University Center Ballroom. The debate-style forum will focus on the ethics of fake news, and the lasting impact it has on the proper functioning of a democratic society.

The forum, hosted by CSUMB’s College of Business, College of Science and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), is free and open to the public.

“Arts, humanities and social science; business; and science constitute three critical pillars of our democracy,” said Shyam Kamath, dean of CSUMB’s College of Business. “The colleges that represent these three areas have come together again to bring leading thinkers to the Monterey Peninsula to debate the issues underlying a critical threat to democracy – “fake news” that has the potential to destroy it.”

Monterey County Weekly publisher, Erik Cushman, will moderate the expert panel. The forum will also include keynote addresses by guest speaker Renee Diresta, who serves as head of policy at Data for Democracy and Mark Scarberry, professor of law at the Pepperdine University School of Law.

“This year’s presentation raises key questions regarding the impact of “fake news” and the importance of sorting out reliable sources for information essential to democratic deliberations,” said Ilene Feinman, dean of CAHSS.