The Responsible Technology Coalition (RTC), a new UMass Amherst graduate student organization, and the Public Interest Technology Initiative at UMass (PIT@UMass), welcomed Julia Angwin this past month in a candid and compelling conversation about data, journalism and the Internet. Julia is a Pulitzer-prize winner and founder and editor-in-chief of the Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates how powerful institutions are using technology to change our society. Created with the goal of furthering collaboration between technologists and journalists, the Markup integrates computation, data collection, statistical analysis, and automation in its journalistic activities.
Facilitated by Ethan Zuckerman (UMass Associate Professor and PIT@UMass Co-founder and Research Director), Julia shared approaches she uses in many of her investigations and addressed the effectiveness of technical literacy and partnerships between technologists, domain experts and journalists. Additional topics covered include public media models, the politics of data, regulation, transparency, and policy implications. The conversation also touched upon the trend of technologists’ needs for more mission-driven work leading them into the field of journalism.
Listen to event recordingAbout the Responsible Technology Coalition
The Responsible Technology Coalition (RTC) is an interdisciplinary organization of students who are committed to seeing that technology is ethical and accountable. RTC was founded in 2022 by Michelle Ciccone, Colette Basiliere and Kevin Zheng. Through collaborating with people from diverse industries and backgrounds, RTC comes together to emphasize the impact that technology can have on society. The coalition is dedicated to the advancement of dialogue, policy, and practice around responsible technology at UMass and society at large.
For students interested in participating more in the RTC, their next meeting, which will be in person, takes place on October 6 at 5:30 in CSCI 150/151 (pizza and drinks will be provided).
About PIT@UMass
UMass Amherst’s Public Interest Technology Initiative (PIT@UMass) seeks to provide students and the greater community the skills, awareness, information, and experience to navigate a tech-powered world in a socially responsible way – both as citizens and professionals. Students and the community build tech literacy, social literacy, and strategies to promote the public interest through curricula, internships, events, research, and engagement.