Amy Westervelt's Brought to You By and Climate Journalism

from $25.00

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $215 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.

How has corporate propaganda invaded our media and democracy? How does legacy media intentionally and inadvertently help fossil fuel companies spread disinformation, and how do journalists counter this? Join us for a three-week reading group about acclaimed climate journalist Amy Westervelt’s book Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy. Climate journalist Justin Cook will guide you through in-class discussions of Westervelt’s writing and offer insights from his own research into how disinformation shapes community opinion about climate change in North Carolina. You’ll come away with an understanding of what makes more ethical and accurate climate journalism and a set of tools for critically engaging with the topic.

From the Publisher:

Whether it's the tobacco industry lying about the health dangers of cigarettes, Big Pharma burying studies that make its products less marketable, or Big Oil misleading the public on the dangers of the climate crisis, we all know corporations use doubt and science denial to avoid responsibility. So why do we continue to let them get away with it?

In Brought to You By, Amy Westervelt exposes the plot hidden within the familiar story of science denial. Over the last century, Big Industry has built a vast apparatus of think tanks, lobbyists, sponsored university labs, and obliging news networks to con the public and fool decision-makers, poisoning the informational ecosystem and warping the nature of truth along the way.

With her signature wit and incisiveness, Westervelt introduces the masterminds of corporate misinformation. She shows how these company men have worked to usher in an era of unprecedented corporate control.

Only by exposing this well-oiled machine can we begin to repair the social contract; reclaim truth and democracy; and redraw the lines between corporate speech and individual speech, a lie and an opinion, a dollar and a word.

—

The Fine Print

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

We now offer an early-bird low-tier tuition special as a way of incentivizing early enrollment. This is available up to 4 weeks before the class begins. Early enrollment allows us to gauge if a course will meet the minimum number of students required to run the course.

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may register for up to two classes at the full scholarship level per calendar year (determined by class start date, not registration date). Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student registers for more than two classes at the full scholarship level in a calendar year, they will be automatically disenrolled from the additional classes. We are willing to consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis, but approval must be received in advance of registration.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.

Sliding-Scale Tuition:

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $215 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.

How has corporate propaganda invaded our media and democracy? How does legacy media intentionally and inadvertently help fossil fuel companies spread disinformation, and how do journalists counter this? Join us for a three-week reading group about acclaimed climate journalist Amy Westervelt’s book Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy. Climate journalist Justin Cook will guide you through in-class discussions of Westervelt’s writing and offer insights from his own research into how disinformation shapes community opinion about climate change in North Carolina. You’ll come away with an understanding of what makes more ethical and accurate climate journalism and a set of tools for critically engaging with the topic.

From the Publisher:

Whether it's the tobacco industry lying about the health dangers of cigarettes, Big Pharma burying studies that make its products less marketable, or Big Oil misleading the public on the dangers of the climate crisis, we all know corporations use doubt and science denial to avoid responsibility. So why do we continue to let them get away with it?

In Brought to You By, Amy Westervelt exposes the plot hidden within the familiar story of science denial. Over the last century, Big Industry has built a vast apparatus of think tanks, lobbyists, sponsored university labs, and obliging news networks to con the public and fool decision-makers, poisoning the informational ecosystem and warping the nature of truth along the way.

With her signature wit and incisiveness, Westervelt introduces the masterminds of corporate misinformation. She shows how these company men have worked to usher in an era of unprecedented corporate control.

Only by exposing this well-oiled machine can we begin to repair the social contract; reclaim truth and democracy; and redraw the lines between corporate speech and individual speech, a lie and an opinion, a dollar and a word.

—

The Fine Print

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

We now offer an early-bird low-tier tuition special as a way of incentivizing early enrollment. This is available up to 4 weeks before the class begins. Early enrollment allows us to gauge if a course will meet the minimum number of students required to run the course.

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may register for up to two classes at the full scholarship level per calendar year (determined by class start date, not registration date). Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student registers for more than two classes at the full scholarship level in a calendar year, they will be automatically disenrolled from the additional classes. We are willing to consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis, but approval must be received in advance of registration.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.