The DC Public Library and Villa Albertine will host the inaugural discussion of the “Democracy in an Age of Uncertainty” series.
This inaugural discussion of the “Democracy in an Age of Uncertainty” series, will feature special guests Nikole Hannah-Jones, Camille François, and Piotr Smolar. Moderated by Steve Clemons.
Disinformation, facilitated by AI, is polarizing public opinion, promoting violent extremism and hate speech and, ultimately, undermining our democracies and diminishing trust in our electoral and judicial systems. How can we measure the threat of fake news and what tools do we have to offset its corrosive effects? How can we adjust our behaviors and mindset –– both as individuals and as a society –– to temper its destruction?
Join Villa Albertine and the DC Public Library for an event exploring these topics featuring:
– TED Talk-style introduction on disinformation and AI with Camille François.
– Panel discussion comparing French and American perspectives, featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Camille François, and Piotr Smolar, moderated by Steve Clemons.
– Salon-style segment where audience members will have the opportunity to speak with panelists and get books signed, including The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Bad Jew: A Family’s Quest from the Minsk Ghetto to Netanyahu’s Israel by Piotr Smolar.
The DC Public Library Foundation partners with the DC Public Library to enhance Washington, DC’s public libraries, bringing private philanthropy together with government support to ensure that our libraries deliver the highest quality of service to the District’s residents. With the help of many generous people, the Foundation provides educational programs for children and youth, workforce development training, cultural events, and collection enhancements for DC’s libraries.
Panelists
Camille François, Associate Professor of Practice of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University SIPA
Camille François serves on the adjunct faculty of the Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). She is an affiliate scholar of the Harvard Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society, a PhD candidate at the French Institute of Geopolitics, a Fulbright scholar, and a Young Leader of the French-American Foundation.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, Creator, The 1619 Project; Staff Writer, The New York Times Magazine
Nikole Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. The book version of The 1619 Project as well as the 1619 Project children’s book, Born on the Water, were instant #1 New York Times bestsellers. Her 1619 Project is now a six-part docuseries on Hulu and won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Hannah-Jones has spent her career investigating racial inequality and injustice, and her reporting has earned her the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the Genius grant, a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards and the National Magazine Award three times.
Piotr Smolar, Special Correspondent, Le Monde
Piotr Smolar is the senior correspondent of the French newspaper Le Monde in Washington. Before that, he covered French diplomacy (2019-2021) and was based in Jerusalem (2014-2019), writing on Israel and the Palestinian territories. He also lived in Russia for four years, witnessing the end of the Yeltsin era and Putin’s advent for the newspaper Le Figaro. Piotr Smolar is the author of a book on Russia’s heartland, Gloubinka, promenades au coeur de la Russie (L’Inventaire, 2002) and Mauvais Juif (L’Equateur, 2019), published in the US in September 2024 under the title Bad Jew (Other Press).
Moderated by Steve Clemons, Founder of the American Strategy Program, New America Foundation
Steve Clemons is a former Washington editor-at-large at The Atlantic and editor of AtlanticLIVE. Clemons is a senior fellow and the founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, a centrist think tank in Washington, D.C., where he previously served as executive vice president.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Author Talk |
