By: Suah Cho
The School of Communication and Information held its second Open House on April 11, highlighting the impact of misinformation today. The event showcased workshops and presentations designed to help attendees recognize and counter the spread of misleading content both online and offline.
SCI faculty members led interactive mini workshops focused on identifying key tactics used to spread misinformation and safeguarding reliable scientific information. These sessions emphasized the importance of critically evaluating findings or data that appear to be scientific, noting that AI-generated images and online content can make false or misleading materials seem convincing.
“Seeing is no longer believing; evidence can be easily manipulated,” said Dr. Youjeong Kim, assistant professor in the Journalism program who led a session on AI-generated multimedia content. “But questioning is power. When you’re in doubt, go check.”
The event continued with a keynote by Dr. Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who addressed the nature and scope of misinformation in health communications and discussed solutions for mitigating its dissemination and the damage it can inflict.
Dr. Viswanath noted that certain individuals and communities are more susceptible to misinformation due to disparities in access to accurate information. Inequities matter, he said, from the absence of broadband to other resources many take for granted.
He concluded by stating that collaboration with community partners is essential to identifying solutions and ensuring accurate information reaches these communities effectively.
“The most important recommendation I can make is engaging with critical stakeholders, which is what we call the community engagement approach,” Dr. Viswanath said. “It’s not top down; what you want is working with community partners in developing these interventions.”
This year, five alumni were honored with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award. The awardees are Christina Higa (Communication), Jessica Yamauchi (Communicology), Paula Akana Guanzon (Journalism), Jane Kurahara (Library and Information Science), and Melodi Wynne (Matsunaga Institute for Peace). More information about the awardees is available on the Distinguished Alumni page of the SCI website.
The Open House concluded with a networking reception at the Art Building Courtyard, where participants reflected on the community’s growth over the past year and connected with student leaders representing SCI organizations, including the UH Mānoa chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists and Public Relations Student Society of America, as well as The Mānoa Mirror.