Science Café

The Science of Fake News

Important elections are coming up in The Netherlands on 22 nd of November. In recent years, elections
were accompanied by a new phenomenon called “Fake News”. But this is actually not such a new
phenomenon as many think, since Fake News of all times!

In the Science Café of 15 th of November, just ahead of the elections we are diving into the Science of
Fake News. Lotte Schijver will discuss if we are living in a post-truth era, and Rens Tacoma will address if
Fake News has been a problem throughout the centuries. Ever wondered if the Romans were spreading
Fake News, and if so, how they did it?

Lotte Schrijver is a PhD candidate in the Strategic Communication Group at Wageningen University &
Research, the sociology department at Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Pandemic and Disaster
Preparedness Center. Her research focusses on disinformation during the corona pandemic. Using
machine learning and experimental methods, she investigates the presence and effect of
misinformation during the pandemic.

Dr. Rens Tacoma is associate professor at the Institute for History at Leiden University. He recently was
awarded an NWO grant in which he is investigating Fake News in the Roman Times together with his
team. In this science café, we will try to establish differences and similarities through the ages, and
create awareness for the many different sizes and shapes that this multi-headed phenomenon may take.