In light of the general elections in Germany in September 2021, the German Consulate General in San Francisco together with the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa), the Center for West European Studies of the University of Washington, and the Goethe Pop Up Seattle presented the virtual transatlantic conversation "Safeguarding Democracies: Social Media and Populist Narratives in Germany and the U.S." on September 20, 2021, as part of the lecture series of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Markus Beckedahl, co-founder of re:publica, network political activist and journalist, and Lance Bennett, the Emeritus Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor for Communication at the University of Washington, discussed the social media narratives surrounding the U.S. and the German elections, as well as approaches by governments, civil society, and business to limit the spread of misinformation and fake news.

The event was moderated by Paulina Fröhlich, program director of Future of Democracies at Das Progressive Zentrum. Oliver Schramm, German Consul General in San Francisco, provided opening remarks.

This lecture was co-funded by the European Union.