Misinformation crisis highlighted at University of Regina lecture

Canadian expert Timothy Caulfield addressed misinformation’s effect on public health and trust in science at a lecture at the University of Regina.

A leading Canadian expert on misinformation warned the growing spread of false and misleading data is having real impacts on society during a public lecture at the University of Regina Thursday night.

Timothy Caulfield, a professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, delivered the 2026 Woodrow Lloyd Lecture hosted by the university’s Faculty of Arts.

Caulfield’s presentation, titled The Knowledge Crisis: How Did We Get Here and What Can We Do?, explored how false narratives, sometimes expressly designed to mislead and exploit, now spread rapidly through the culture. He argues this widespread adoption of ideas that are demonstrably untrue has had consequences for public health, public discourse, and people’s trust in institutions.

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“There’s absolutely no doubt that misinformation is having an impact on people’s lives, on public health, on democracy, on climate change,” he said. “You pick the topic, and the spread of misinformation is having an impact.”

Despite the challenges, Caulfield said research is pointing to ways society can push back against the spread of false informatio.

“There’s a growing body of evidence about strategies that are actually effective at pushing back against the noise. We need a multi-pronged approach, we need to pre-bunk, we need to debunk. We need policies that curtail the spread of misinformation,” Caulfield said.

“For sure, we need to teach critical thinking in media literacy. The good news is, if we tackle it in this kind of comprehensive manner, we really can make a difference.”

Caulfield said addressing misinformation will require effort across society, from individuals to governments.

“I really believe this is one of the greatest challenges of our time. This is not a little issue, this is not a niche issue, it’s an issue that’s central to everyone’s life,” he said. “I think that we can develop strategies that can make a difference, I think individuals can make a difference, organizations, governments, we all need to play a part.”

The annual Woodrow Lloyd Lecture is supported by the Woodrow Lloyd Trust and honours former Saskatchewan premier Woodrow Lloyd, recognizing his contributions to education and social welfare. Each year, the University of Regina invites a nationally recognized scholar, writer or public thinker to deliver a lecture on an issue relevant to Saskatchewan.