The team at Students For Liberty are delighted to invite you to the inaugural edition of our Freedom of Expression webinar series, on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, at 12PM EST. Exploring the conservative case against the War on Drugs, this interview will highlight how the important cause of drug policy reform does not belong to any one ideology. Instead, this cause has the potential to bring people together from a range of different political and ideological backgrounds.
Titled ‘How the Internet Shapes Our Opinions’, this event will feature Turi Munthe, the founder of Parlia, an online “Encyclopedia of Opinion” that aims to chart as many varied opinions as possible on a wide range of issues. The event will be hosted by Students For Liberty’s Director of International Programs, Elizabeth Hicks.
A media entrepreneur and former journalist, Turi Munthe previously founded Demotix, a photo agency. Enabling freelance photojournalists to license their work to media organizations, Demotix was subsequently sold to Bill Gates’ Corbis Corporation.
Sitting on the board of GEDI, the largest newspaper conglomerate in Italy, Munthe is also a Venture Partner at North Base Media. He is a trustee of the Index on Censorship, while also being involved with OpenDemocracy and The Signals Network.
According to Munthe, Parlia’s main function is to map out different perspectives on current talking points and controversies, while also addressing a plethora of evergreen questions relating to any topic, ranging from politics to theology or even sport. He believes that the way in which Parlia operates can help address the current culture of polarization and division online.
A key difference between Parlia and other forums is an explicit commitment to maximum inclusivity, by trying to cover all possible opinions. This makes it most easily comparable to a wiki page. Another difference is that, unlike on some platforms, contributors do not have an incentive for self-promotion. Instead, Parlia focuses purely on ideas and opinions, aiming to map out as many different views as possible on each individual issue. Users are encouraged to assess their own thoughts in relation to differing opinions and try to understand other people’s perspectives.
To hear Turi Munthe’s insights on the role of the internet in shaping our opinions, make sure to tune in for his interview, on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, at 12 PM EST!
You can register for this webinar by clicking on the button below!
