76th Conference Saturday Keynote Speaker– Dr. Dana Cloud, Syracuse University

Reality Bites: The Limits of Truth Appeals and Fact-Checking in Political Discourse

Dana L. Cloud (Ph.D., 1992, University of Iowa) is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University. Her research and teaching focus on social movements, critical theory (including Marxist, feminist, anti-racist, and queer), and critical rhetorical studies of media and politics. She is the author of the new book Reality Bites: Rhetoric and the Circulation of Truth Claims in U.S. Political Culture (Ohio State University Press, 2018), in addition to two previous books (We ARE the Union, University of Illinois, 2011; Rhetorics of Therapy, Sage, 1998). Along with numerous book chapters, her articles have appeared in such journals as Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Quarterly Journal of Speech, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Communication and Cultural Critique, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, and the Western Journal of Communication. She is a longtime activist and member of the International Socialist Organization.