GREAT FALLS – A panel discussion in Great Falls on Tuesday evening looked at the state of civil discourse in politics.
Organizers from Great Falls Rising and the League of Women Voters worried that dishonest, disrespectful, and hostile rhetoric is becoming a danger to democracy.
Panelists included judges, journalists, legislators, and lawyers who gathered at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation.
Panel opinions cited big money, the internet, and news media bias in politics as potential culprits.
MTN’s Mike Dennison was a panelist and he said the ability of people to only hear news that fits their opinion is a major problem.
An attendee said people need to get our in their community.
“I think that it’s really important to get out in your community and see what people truly think especially in this age of being behind a screen using social media and such,” Attendee Seamus Jennings said. “I think person to person interaction is really important especially to further along the community and ultimately the country.”
The group also took questions from attendees and discussed potential solutions.
-Joe Huisinga reporting for MTN News
