Past Events:

Weaponized Narrative and Hidden Organizations
Professor Craig Scott
March 14, 2017
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Payne Hall, room 27
Tempe campus

Concerns about what some have called "weaponized narrative" can be seen in the rise of fake news, science/climate deniers, and other aspects of a post-factual era. Behind many of these efforts are a variety of organizations, some of which are generally known and others that are in various ways concealed. These hidden organizations include front groups, astroturfs, fake news organizations, various cloaked websites and other collectives whose identity is at least partially concealed from key audiences, often enhancing (though possibly restricting) the ability to "weaponize narrative."

This presentation outlines the work on visibility management and hidden organizations, strategies of concealment for organizations and their members, as well as motivations for and appropriateness of that concealment. This presentation will then apply that work to phenomena such as fake news and climate science denial. This sort of effort has the potential to help us better understand the communicative construction of a key form of weaponized narrative and more effectively confront some of the dangers it poses.

Craig R. Scott is a professor and chairholder in the department of communication at Rutgers University. His research and teachings are primarily focused on organizational communication, where he examines issues of anonymity and identity/identification in various organizational settings. His current interests center around “hidden organizations,” which are found when an organization and/or its members conceal key parts of their identity from various audiences.

Previous Events:

CSC and ASU NROTC Public Event Lecture

The CSC partnered with the ASU Naval ROTC Battalion to bring a representative from NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation to campus to speak on the NATO Alliance in the 21st Century.

The NATO Alliance in the 21st Century
APRIL 18, 2012   5:00 p.m.
Schwada Building (SCOB) room 210
Tempe campus


Center for Strategic Communication Inauguration and Lecture

This event celebrated the inauguration of the Center for Strategic Communication with a lecture by international terrorism expert Dr. Jarret Brachman on February 23, 2012.