#199 Ellen McCarthy on Trust in Media and Information

The Cognitive Crucible

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Ellen McCarthy discusses how to conceptualize and develop standards and measurements on information quality, how to align AI with accurate and reliable information, and how challenges and potential of leveraging AI can support information quality. Also, be sure to check out and register for the upcoming 28 October symposium co-sponsored by TIM and IPA: Beyond the Noise - Elevating Information Quality in a Generative AI Era.

Recording Date: 5 Sept 2024

Research Question: Ellen McCarthy suggests an interested student examine macroeconomic indicators or drivers of information consumption.

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #119 Katherine Carman on Truth Decay
• Ellen McCarthy Bio
• October 28, 2024 Symposium
• Gallup: U.S. Confidence in Institutions Mostly Flat, but Police Up
• Gallup: Confidence in Institutions
• DOJ: Two RT Employees Indicted for Covertly Funding and Directing U.S. Company that Published Thousands of Videos in Furtherance of Russian Interests
• Information Sharing and Analysis Centers
• Alfred North Whitehead quote: “Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.”

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: The Honorable Ellen McCarthy is a national security professional with extensive experience in government and the private sector. She has held several high-level positions in the U.S. intelligence community and has worked on a wide range of national security issues. Ellen served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research from 2018 to 2020. In this role, she oversaw the State Department's intelligence analysis and provided support to senior policymakers on foreign policy matters. Before that, she was the President of Noblis NSP, a national security-focused science and technology company. She also served as the President of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), a non-profit organization focused on addressing intelligence and national security priorities. Prior to her time in the private sector, McCarthy held various leadership positions in the intelligence community, including serving as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Director of Intelligence Operations at the U.S. Coast Guard. She was also lead for Human Capital and Security for the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and started her career as an all source intelligence analyst within the Office of Naval Intelligence and the Atlantic Intelligence Command. She is a wife, mother, daughter and friend.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

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