Podtalk: Ashton Swinford, Creator of ‘Miss Information,’ a Web Series Premiering Oct. 7, 2020

CHICAGO – Fact or fiction is a current debate in news programming, especially as people naturally digest “the news” that makes them comfortable. A new five-episode web series created by filmmaker Ashton Swinford, “Miss Information,” is a satire-oriented show that seeks to entertain and educate viewers on the bias, fake news and bot infiltration that litters social media. Click on MissInformation.TV [23] for more details. The series debuts on October 7th, 2020, on YouTube and Instagram (@MissInformationShow [24]).

Miss Information (Swinford) is a former beauty pageant queen attempting to cling to relevancy in a post-pandemic world. She is joined by Reginald Wilkins (Whitman Johnson), a golden retriever in human form, who serves as her reporter in the field. Guest appearances are also frequent, ranging from the notorious Q of QAnon to extraterrestrial hand puppets.

Ashton Swinton is ‘Miss Information’
Photo credit: MissInformation.TV

Over the course of its five episodes, the web series tackles a range of issues surrounding misinformation, from a basic introduction to media literacy and how to identify fake news, to more detailed explanations of propaganda, political astroturfing, firehosing and more. The series is created by, produced and features Ashton Swinford, as well as edited and directed by Nick Moore.

Ms. Swinford is a veteran actor, writer, production coordinator, director and producer. A graduate of the Stellar Adler Studio in New York City, she is SAG-AFTRA certified in both Los Angeles and Chicago. She has acted in “Chicago P.D.,” FOX-TV’s “New Girl” and indie films like “The Grandma” (available on Amazon Prime), as well as performing on stage in Bob Zmuda’s “The Tony Clifton Show” and as a producer with The Onion on “The A.V. Club Hosted by John Teti.” Her recent short film, which premiered at the Midwest Film Festival, is “Red Flag.” [25]

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Ashton Swinford talks about her goals as creator of “Miss Information,” with a tour through the topics that the series takes on.

[26]	By PATRICK McDONALD [27] Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com [26]