PBS show host discusses presidential campaign in Fresno State virtual talk Wednesday

The host of the PBS show “The Open Mind” will discuss the 2020 presidential race in a virtual talk at 6 p.m. Wednesday hosted by Fresno State.

Journalist Alexander Heffner’s talk is entitled, “The 2020 Campaign: Uncivil and Unwell in America.” Fresno State says Heffner will examine the critical role of information integrity in facilitating our democracy and ensuring a safe, fair and free election. Beginning with the 2016 presidential campaign, he will chronicle what he calls the last four years’ disinformation and “a concerted attempt to unravel fact-based discourse.” He will also explore what we can do to correct it in the last two weeks of the election and beyond.

The virtual talk comes on the eve of the last presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden (Thursday 6-7:30 p.m., major networks).

Heffner says his PBS show, which airs Sundays at noon, is a focus on public policy, ideas and how to work to solve the fundamental problems our society faces collectively.

“In the past three years, we have specifically confronted the rise of authoritarianism and bigotry and have done so explicitly. I think that is our distinction right now, that we are identifying and attempting to mitigate and extinguish those really dangerous threats to democracy,” Heffner said.

Heffner’s grandfather launched “The Open Mind” in 1956. Heffner helped push it to a national audience beginning in 2015.

The virtual talk live on Zoom is hosted by the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism and the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust. Registration is free (go to bit.ly/3jcQeax), and the event is open to the community.