WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks will host an online screening of the film “Merchants of Doubt” on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. in room 5 of the Luerssen Science Building. Refreshments will be served prior to the event at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The film will be livestreamed from University Park. A panel discussion examining the state of science in our public discourse and policymaking today and how we can protect its role in our decision-making will follow the screening.
“Merchants of Doubt” takes a closer look at decades-long practices in which corporations hire people who appear to have strong scientific credentials but are willing to be “hired guns” spreading scientific misinformation and doubt as a way to prevent public regulation and oversight of the industry’s products. “[The film] shows the corruption behind the scenes that these corporations are utilizing by hiding science from the public. These companies profit, and the film explores the reasons behind these greedy practices,” said Mahsa Kazempour, professor of science education and chair of the Penn State Berks Sustainability Council.
Kazempour says the film serves as a reminder that it’s in the public’s best interest to be informed about issues that affect us every day.
“I hope one thing people take away after seeing this film is that, because of the level of misinformation, getting the facts about these issues that affect all of us is so important. These things impact our lives and communities — it’s really critical to pay attention to how the spreading of misinformation, or a lack of information about scientific evidence, really impacts us as a society.”
Part of the Penn State Sustainability Film Series, “Merchants of Doubt” is the first film screening of the year at Berks. “We showed this film a few years ago with many positive reviews from the audience and felt that it’s more important than ever to show such films and gather the community for discussions,” Kazempour said.
For more information, visit the Sustainability at Penn State Berks website or contact Kazempour at 610-396-6312 or muk30@psu.edu.