Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex wants to make the Internet a healthier place
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Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Biden and Trump debate the Supreme Court, CEOs take the stage at the MPW Summit, and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex wants to make the Internet a healthier place. Have a powerful Wednesday.
– Meghan at MPW. If there’s one way to open the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, it’s with a Duchess.
We were joined by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex at yesterday’s virtual event for a conversation about a cause that Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, have taken up in recent months: stopping the spread of misinformation online and building communities that will be healthier for individuals and for society.
It’s easy to guess why the duo were inspired to take on this work; Meghan has been the subject of countless false stories and racist online attacks since she stepped onto the global stage four years ago. But the Duchess has quickly broadened the cause far beyond herself; the Sussexes are tackling the issue from many angles, including how social media affects young people’s mental health and how disinformation influences politics and elections.
Meghan told Fortune‘s Ellen McGirt how “bots and trolls” affect our lives “online and off.” And she referenced her firsthand experience with how fast misinformation can spread: “If you look back at anything I’ve said, what ends up being inflammatory is people’s interpretation of it. But if you listen to what I actually say, it’s not controversial.”
You can read and watch more from Meghan’s conversation with Ellen here and here.
We were also joined yesterday by Anita Hill, who talked to Ellen (a busy day for our colleague!) about why Black women are overlooked as Supreme Court nominees. It was a timely conversation, just before the presidential debate opened with discussion of the Supreme Court. (See more on that below.)
Read on for more from yesterday’s MPW Summit. Today, we’ll be joined by incoming Citi CEO Jane Fraser, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet, chair of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Laura Cha, and more guests—and we’ll bring you the details tomorrow.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
@_emmahinchliffe