Fighting Misinformation Takes Center-Stage at Sundance Festival | Media.com

(Los Angeles, CA– January 16, 2024) Fighting misinformation will take center-stage at this year’s Sundance Festival in Utah as <a href="http://www.media.com/">Media.com</a> leads a debate on reputation management and how to deal with online falsehoods.&nbsp;Media.com, a New York-based online network that allows individuals and companies to push-back against false claims and defamations, will present "The Power of Reputation" panel at the Festival’s Impact Lounge on January 20.&nbsp;The panel will include Jon Gosselin (TV &amp; Celebrity DJ), Phaedra Parks (RHOA, Traitors, Married to Medicine &amp; Managing Partner of The Parks Group), Adriane Schwartz (Celebrity &amp; entertainment journalist) and Justin Peck (Champion off-road racer, Founder of National Mental Health Alliance &amp; Author of "Bulletproof").&nbsp;The forum will be led by Media.com founder and CEO, James Mawhinney, an Australian entrepreneur whose business was wrongly targeted by Australia’s corporate regulator in 2020, reinforced by misinformation in the media.&nbsp;The Sundance Film Festival attracts over 150,000 people each year and is a focal point for quality film and documentaries, a meeting place for politics and intellectuals and a showcase for entrepreneurs and their innovative ideas.&nbsp;Mr Mawhinney said he understood the importance of reputation and what it feels like to have it torn apart in the media and on the internet, by misinformation. The Australian businessman lost his business, family home, and reputation due to an uncontrollable wildfire of misinformation. Those attacks also took a toll on hundreds of investors and their families.&nbsp;Mawhinney responded by acquiring and building Media.com, the world's first online network that verifies user profiles to protect against the harm caused by misinformation.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to Mr Mawhinney, "The world is facing an information crisis. Advertising revenues are being prioritized over information authenticity, which puts the entire population at risk of harm. Social networks have enjoyed years of success operating largely unregulated, but now it's apparent that they are breeding grounds for bad information, which has real-world consequences. With AI on the rise, the combined risk of fake profiles and AI bots threatens to accelerate the spread of misinformation at a frightening rate. Now more than ever, a solution is needed to help people protect their reputations and improve communication standards."&nbsp;Media.com differs from social platforms because when a Media.com user creates a profile for themselves or their organization to create content, their credentials are verified for authenticity and the information they publish is not open to comment.&nbsp; Of particular interest to users is the ability to clip media and refute the accuracy of it in a side-by-side panel, by offering a counter-narrative and documentary evidence.&nbsp;Mr Mawhinney said he was enthusiastic about bringing Media.com&nbsp; to Park City’s famous festival. He intends for the event at Impact Lounge to focus on personal stories about media misinformation and what Media.com could do about it by empowering users with an authentic, verified online presence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For credentials or interview requests, contact Jade Umbrella PR – Stacey Barker c: 323.833.8358 or e: <a href="mailto:stacey@jadeumbrella.com">stacey@jadeumbrella.com</a>.

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