The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts hosted both Fairfield University students and nearby residents for the Open VISIONS Forum called, “Info, Insights, Inquiring Questions: The Presidential Election 2024” with Alyssa Farah Griffin and Molly Jong-Fast. The Oct. 22 event was moderated by two Fairfield professors: Karla Barguiarena and Dr. Philip Eliasoph. 

Students who attended the event said that it helped them in making a decision on who to vote for in the upcoming election. Sophomore Ada Gebauer said that walking in, she had been “mostly decided” about who she would vote for, but that the conversation “reinforced what I was thinking.” She added that the most interesting part for her had been hearing from Alyssa Farah Griffin, who previously worked for the Trump administration and whose political views have changed since then. Today, she works as a political commentator for CNN and as a co-host of ABC’s “The View.”

Senior Giana Russo said, “I’ve actually struggled with my decision to vote this year because I’ve heard so many conflicting things about the candidates. I come from a super conservative household, but I have some very liberal friends. This gave me two really inconsistent narratives and left me confused.”

She added that the night changed her perception of Trump in particular. “I never really liked him based on his ridiculous statements about women and his lack of respect towards other political figures. That being said, [Farah] Griffin, who worked for Trump, said so much about what happened behind closed doors. I didn’t really think it was possible to dislike him more, but the blatant lies to the public have made me more frustrated than ever.”

The highlight of the night for Russo was the discussion on misinformation, disinformation, and social media, which was the first topic of the night. She found it “both enlightening and worrisome.”

The conversation opened with the media’s role in the election and the spread of both misinformation and disinformation. Both Farah Griffin and Jong-Fast talked about trying to manage the spread, particularly on social media. Farah Griffin said that it is “like whack-a-mole” and that social media does not have the same “journalistic standards” that “legacy media” does.

Jong-Fast said that Congress has an opportunity to ensure more fact checking is done on the news that circulates social media, and so far, she has been “disappointed” by their lack of initiative. Jong-Fast is a political analyst at MSNBC News and a special correspondent for “Vanity Fair.” She also hosts the podcast “Fast Politics” and is an author who has written two novels with a memoir forthcoming in 2025. 

Later on, Farah Griffin and Jong-Fast touched on the importance of investigating claims further and looking for reliable sources, as well as self-checking and correcting to avoid spreading the wrong information. 

The conversation shifted to voting and something that both women agreed upon. “You have to vote. It’s your power,” Farah Griffin said. She pointed out that the “outcome of this election will deeply impact all of us.” 

Jong-Fast agreed, and to further highlight the impact, she added, “This isn’t Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.” Towards the end of the night, she joked, “I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I’m very stressed about it.”

Farah Griffin and Jong-Fast proceeded to discuss campaigning tactics used by the Harris and Trump campaigns. Both candidates have been appearing on podcasts, with Harris appearing on “Call Her Daddy ” with host Alex Cooper and Trump intending to appear on “The Joe Rogan Experience” with host Joe Rogan. 

They pointed out that there is, for example, a small overlap of people who read “The New York Times” and listen to “Call Her Daddy.” So, by appearing on “Call Her Daddy,” Harris is reaching out to millions of people that she might not have reached otherwise.

Jong-Fast has particularly appreciated the campaigning efforts by Harris and her team, particularly when compared to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. She said, “If they lose, it will not be for a lack of trying.” Jong-Fast also hopes they will spend every bit of the money that has been donated to the Harris-Walz campaign. 

Lastly, Farah Griffin and Jong-Fast spoke on what the aftermath of the election could be. Jong-Fast did not want to make a prediction, but Farah Griffin believes Harris could win, though there will be a “rocky period until the new president is sworn in.” For any student looking to use their “power,” as Farah Griffin would say, and vote, early voting is ongoing at the Fairfield University Media Center from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m until Nov. 3.

About The Author

Sophomore | Head News Editor | English and WGSS Majors | Editing and Publishing and Film Minors

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.