‘The Social Challenge’ will Air Across ‘TODAY,’ ‘NBC Nightly News,’ MSNBC, NBCNews.com, ‘Meet the Press,’ NBC News NOW & ‘Stay Tuned’
‘NBC Nightly News’ to Feature an Exclusive Interview with Former Facebook Employee About Whether Company Acted Quickly Enough on Election Interference
Friday, May 7, 2021 – All next week, NBC News will present in-depth and exclusive reports dissecting the role and impact of social media platforms in American culture, politics and everyday life. The Social Challenge series begins on Sunday, and will air across TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press, NBCNews.com, NBC News NOW and Stay Tuned.
On Monday, May 10, NBC Nightly News will feature an exclusive interview with a former Facebook employee who is opening up for the first time with NBC News Senior International Correspondent Keir Simmons about how the company was allegedly slow to act on evidence that fake accounts were undermining elections around the world. The interview will also air on NBC News NOW.
The series will also include NBC Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt and Morning News NOW and Stay Tuned Anchor Savannah Sellers’ spotlight on MediaWise, an organization that has teamed up with Stanford University to help people of all ages separate fact from fiction online. Holt and Sellers, both MediaWise ambassadors, will introduce viewers to the world’s first and only teen fact-checking network, as well as the organization’s digital media literacy training for the most vulnerable and civically-engaged age groups. Their reporting will air on Nightly News and Stay Tuned.
Other programming highlights throughout the week include:
- On Nightly News, Holt will report on how the global pandemic has exacerbated internet addiction. He will speak with experts who warn this could lead to behavioral changes and dependence, as well as anxiety and depression.
- On TODAY, NBC News Senior National Correspondent Kate Snow will examine the dangerous items children can buy online, including drugs and weapons.
- As children have more access to the internet than ever before, Sellers will speak with teenagers about their online life, what they’ve encountered that could be harmful and what parents need to know. She will also report for TODAY on a new startup company that allows followers to bid money to control influencer’s actions.
- Meet the Press Reports will feature Sellers’ interviews with millennial leaders Rep. Sara Jacobs, Judge Lina Hidalgo, State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and Gen Z politician State Rep. Carter Nordman on the evolving political landscape, finding common ground in the age of digital misinformation and gridlock, and new campaign tools like social media. The episode airs Thursday, May 13 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC News NOW and is available the next day on demand on Peacock.
- As misinformation spreads across social media, NBC News Investigative and Consumer Correspondent Vicky Nguyen reports for Nightly News on how the platforms are affecting the public’s confidence in vaccines.
- On Sunday’s Nightly News, NBC News Technology Correspondent Jacob Ward looks into how social media has increased the political polarization in the United States, even tearing some families apart.
- NBC News Business and Technology Correspondent Jo Ling Kent sits down with teens and their parents to discuss whether or not they believe posts from their teenage years should impact future employment opportunities. She will also speak with Common Sense’s CEO about what parents need to know for the Nightly News report.
- As calls for the policing of tech companies increase, NBC News Correspondent Tom Costello speaks to lawmakers on both sides of the debate, for a story on TODAY, about what government oversight might look like.
- On Sunday TODAY, Morning News NOW Anchor Joe Fryer gets an up-close look at how The News Literacy Project is working to combat online misinformation through programs focused on educating middle and high school students.
- Following the ruling from Facebook’s Oversight Board to uphold the ban on former President Trump, NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns will take a look on Sunday TODAY at how its decision may impact others moving forward, and what it says about policing social media giants.
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