Podcasts about informed public

Federal funding for research from the National Science Foundation is being awarded at the slowest rate in 35 years, according to an investigation from the New York Times. Since the start of Trump’s second term, cuts to National Institutes of Health and NSF grants have totaled more than 1.5 billion, according to the research publication Science. Republicans have justified these cuts by claiming the administration is rooting out wasteful spending, or left-wing ideology run amok. And these attacks, along with threats of funding freezes for universities, have reportedly created a culture of fear for researchers. It’s left scientists wondering: do I speak up about what’s happening? Or do I stay quiet, in hopes my funding might be restored? One Seattle researcher with a lot of experience in political communication and information systems is saying: speak up. Guest: Kate Starbird is the co-founder of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. She’s also a professor at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE). Related stories: Trump’s ‘fear factor’: Scientists go silent as funding cuts escalate - Science Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades - NYT To understand right-wing media’s power, study improv and theater of influencers - Seattle Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late last month, the National Science Foundation, a U.S. federal agency that supports scientific research, terminated more than 400 grants that related to misinformation, disinformation and diversity, equity and inclusion. A proposed budget from the Trump administration would also cut the NSF budget in half. Kate Starbird is the co-founder of UW’s Center for an Informed Public. She joins us to share more about the broader impacts of these cuts. 

Welcome to In Reality, the podcast about truth, disinformation and the media with your host Eric Schurenberg, a long time journalist and media executive, now the founder of the Alliance for Trust in Media. On In Reality, we talk a lot about the supply side of the information ecosystem, about journalism and social media and how disinformation gets spread. We talk less about the demand side—how we readers and viewers of news can trustworthy information. We'll fix that imbalance a bit today, with a special guest, Michael Caulfield. Caufield is a former professor at University of Washington and researcher at the Center for an Informed Public. He's the author with Sam Wineburg of Verified, a book with the highly explanatory subtitle How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online. The book introduces what I have found to be a highly useful, easy to remember and very quick way to quickly vet a claim you come across online. Caulfield and Wineburg call that technique by its acronym SIFT. I hope you'll find it as handy as Eric does.Website - free episode transcriptswww.in-reality.fmProduced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapiensoundsapien.comAlliance for Trust in Mediaalliancefortrust.com

Kate Starbird is a professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering and director of the Emerging Capacities of Mass Participation Laboratory at the University of Washington, and co-founder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. Justin Hendrix interviewed her about her team's ongoing efforts to study online rumors, including during the 2024 US election; the differences between the left and right media ecosystems in the US; and how she believes the research field is changing.

Misinformation around election season has been spreading, including false claims that  Donald Trump is not appearing as a candidate on Oregon’s Voter Pamphlet to some Pennsylvania ballots being destroyed. Stephen Prochaska is a doctoral student at the University of Washington Information School and a graduate research assistant at the Center for an Informed Public. He joins us to share more on the strategy behind the spread of misinformation and what to expect before, and after, Election Day. 

This week, with just days to go before the Nov. 5 election, we take a fresh look at AI, social media, and some surprising trends in the spread of fake content and misinformation, with Danielle Lee Thomson, research manager for election rumors at the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public. Guest host Ross Reynolds speaks with Thomson about AI, social media, and some surprising trends in the spread of rumors online.  Related links and stories:  Substack: Election Rumor Research @ Center for an Informed Public New York Times: As Election Looms, Disinformation ‘Has Never Been Worse' Washington Post: Don't say ‘vote': How Instagram hides your political posts Edited by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently released polling on the Washington initiatives to the ballot indicates voters may not be in the mood to support three of the four measures. Backers of the initiatives aren't swayed by the results, adding that language included by Attorney General Bob Ferguson paints a partisan pall over the measures. The SurveyUSA poll was conducted online Oct. 9-14 and was sponsored by The Seattle Times, KING 5 and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public.

If there is one thing on our collective minds these days, it is the issue of politics. But for all the interest it piques, much of it remains a mystery to the American public. Bestselling author and journalist Casey Michel, who tackled the problem of financial corruption in his first book American Kleptocracy, sheds light on an issue that may be unknown to those outside the Capitol. In Michel's new book Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World, he details how one group has worked as foot soldiers for authoritarian, repressive regimes. In the process, they've not only established dictatorships and spread kleptocratic networks, but they've successfully guided U.S. policy without the rest of America being aware. And now, Michel asserts, some of them have begun turning their sights on American democracy itself. These Americans are known as foreign lobbyists, and many of them spent years laundering reputations and getting cozy in Washington with dictatorships. Michel writes of foreign lobbyists throughout history–including those who built alliances with Mussolini and the Nazis, but also contemporary Americans: in law firms and consultancies, among PR specialists and former lawmakers, and even within think tanks and universities. Foreign Agents illuminates these figures past and present and determines that they pose a threat to the future of American democracy. Casey Michel is an author, journalist, and director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program with the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of American Kleptocracy, named by The Economist as one of the “best books to read to understand financial crime.” His writing on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth has appeared in Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Post, among other outlets, and he has appeared on NPR, BBC, CNN, and MSNBC, among other stations. He has also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the links between illicit financial networks and national security. He received his Master's degree in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies from Columbia University's Harriman Institute, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Kazakhstan. Foreign Agents is his second book. Dr. Katy E. Pearce is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington and holds affiliations with the University of Washington's Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. She is the chair of the Communication and Technology Division of the International Communication Association and is an associate editor at the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Her research focuses on social and political uses of technologies and digital content in the transitioning democracies and semi-authoritarian states of the South Caucasus and Central Asia, but primarily Armenia and Azerbaijan. Buy the Book Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World The Elliott Bay Book Company

Over the last month, the Southeastern United States has been hammered by back-to-back hurricanes. But weather aside, experts are pointing to another big storm – the swirl of storm and recovery-related disinformation online. One of the experts tracking all this is Danielle Lee Tomson, who works as the research manager at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. She talked to host Steven Overly about how these fake claims are being amplified, and why there's likely more disinformation coming even if these hurricanes have passed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, rumors and conspiracy theories about the disaster quickly began spreading online—some of them outrageous and bizarre, and some of them legitimate efforts to make sense of a confusing and frightening situation. With Hurricane Milton moving through Florida, the confusion seems unlikely to let up anytime soon. The volume of rumors circulating “is absolutely the worst I have ever seen,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters.There's no one better positioned to speak to these issues than Kate Starbird, the co-founder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, who studies both online rumors and disinformation along with crisis informatics, or how information circulates in the wake of disaster. Lawfare Senior Editor Quinta Jurecic spoke with Kate about why rumors spread after disasters, whether the flood of falsehoods is worse this time around, and how confusion following the hurricanes may set the groundwork for future conspiracy theories about the November election.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/c/trumptrials.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among the trends of mis- and disinformation spreading ahead of the 2024 election is the narrative that large groups of noncitizens are illegally voting. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams recently spoke with Danielle Lee Tomson, a research manager with the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, about how this narrative is affecting the November election. This conversation is part of “Marketplace Tech's” limited series “Decoding Democracy.” Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel.

Among the trends of mis- and disinformation spreading ahead of the 2024 election is the narrative that large groups of noncitizens are illegally voting. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams recently spoke with Danielle Lee Tomson, a research manager with the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, about how this narrative is affecting the November election. This conversation is part of “Marketplace Tech's” limited series “Decoding Democracy.” Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel.

Among the trends of mis- and disinformation spreading ahead of the 2024 election is the narrative that large groups of noncitizens are illegally voting. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams recently spoke with Danielle Lee Tomson, a research manager with the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, about how this narrative is affecting the November election. This conversation is part of “Marketplace Tech's” limited series “Decoding Democracy.” Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel.

An influential research team with a focus on fighting false and misleading election information online has reportedly collapsed under pressure from conservative critics.  The Stanford Internet Observatory's future is uncertain now that the team has lost most of its staff. While Stanford told reporters in a statement that the Observatory's work will continue under new leadership, it appears the rapid analysis work identifying election misinformation that researchers conducted during the 2020 election will not continue.   The announcement comes as disinformation work has come under fire in recent years. Some Republicans in congress, conservative groups and influencers have said academic research designed to track and better understand rumors online amounts to a censorship campaign and a violation of their First Amendment rights. Stanford's Internet Observatory (SIO) and University of Washington researchers have also been the subject of a lawsuit from a conservative pundit and a vaccine skeptic, represented by former Trump Administration advisor Stephen Miller's group America First Legal.     That's a troubling development for those who are continuing the work of studying our online information ecosystem, including researchers at the University of Washington.  Soundside spoke with Kate Starbird, the co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, about what the cracks in the SIO's foundation say about the field at large.  Guests: Kate Starbird, co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. Starbird's work focuses on misinformation and disinformation.  Links: The Washington Post: Stanford's top disinformation research group collapses under pressure Politico: Challenge to Biden hectoring of social media firms appears doomed at Supreme Court Platformer: The Stanford Internet Observatory is being dismantled See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this episode, Amin, Biagio, and Russ are excited to have to speak with Kolina Koltai! Kolina is a senior investigator and trainer at the open-source investigation outlet, Bellingcat. Kolina is an expert in sociotechnical systems especially in the intersection between misinformation and social media platforms. Kolina has focused extensively on scientific and health misinformation and currently focuses on non-consensual AI deep fakes and AI related misinformation. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in Information Studies and a postdoc at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public.

What would our world be like if we had matrescence-informed public policy? What would those policies even look like? And what impact would they have on our experience of becoming a mother - and the wider experience of parenthood?In this week's episode, mama of 2 Sarah Cleggett share's her own personal experience of becoming a mother, and how that has led her to not only establishing a Social Enterprise-based Mother's Community Group 'Middle Ground Motherhood', but recently completing her Masters on Matrescence-based public policy.Sarah's research highlights how patriarchal and neoliberal motherhood concepts in Australia underestimate the profound changes of motherhood, meaning "mothers are left without the structural support they require to thrive." Sarah was also a part of a national study on parents working conditions, pregnancy leave and return to work, which you can read here.Ultimately, this episode highlights how one mother's experience can spark a commitment to making a difference in the world, and impact an understanding of Matrescence and mother-led support policies would flow on to the rest of society - and the world.You can see Sarah's Social Enterprise work at Middle Ground Motherhood here, and read and subscribe to her Substack here.SARAH IS ONE OF OUR GUEST EXPERTS AT OUR NEXT 'WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW' SERIES.You can join our panel discussion and online workshop on 8th May here. All proceeds from this event will go towards our Global Matrescence Foundation. FULL VIDEO VERSION of this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this compelling episode of Remarkable People, Guy Kawasaki sits down with Mike Caulfield, a renowned research scientist from the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. Caulfield introduces his groundbreaking SIFT methodology, a crucial tool in the fight against online misinformation that empowers educators and learners to critically assess online content. Discover how SIFT - which stands for Stop, Investigate the source, Find trusted coverage, and Trace back to the original - can help you navigate the complex world of digital information. Caulfield also discusses his book Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online, co-authored with fellow Remarkable People guest Sam Wineburg. Join us as we explore the importance of digital literacy and learn practical strategies to determine what to believe in an era of information overload.---Guy Kawasaki is on a mission to make you remarkable. His Remarkable People podcast features interviews with remarkable people such as Jane Goodall, Marc Benioff, Woz, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Bob Cialdini. Every episode will make you more remarkable. With his decades of experience in Silicon Valley as a Venture Capitalist and advisor to the top entrepreneurs in the world, Guy's questions come from a place of curiosity and passion for technology, start-ups, entrepreneurship, and marketing. If you love society and culture, documentaries, and business podcasts, take a second to follow Remarkable People. Listeners of the Remarkable People podcast will learn from some of the most successful people in the world with practical tips and inspiring stories that will help you be more remarkable. Episodes of Remarkable People organized by topic: https://bit.ly/rptopology Listen to Remarkable People here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guy-kawasakis-remarkable-people/id1483081827 Like this show? Please leave us a review -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! Thank you for your support; it helps the show!

Stanford's Evelyn Douek and Alex Stamos are joined by University of Washington professor Kate Starbird to discuss research on election rumors.Kate Starbird is an associate professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering where she is also a co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public. - University of WashingtonHouse Judiciary Committee Kate Starbird interview transcriptHouse Judiciary Committee Alex Stamos interview transcriptSports CornerNoted American sports expert Evelyn Douek discusses the NCAA women's basketball championship in this slam dunk segment. Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks defeated superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75 on Sunday in what is expected to be the most watched women's basketball game of all time with an average ticket price hovering around $500. - Jill Martin/ CNN, Alexa Philippou/ ESPNJoin the conversation and connect with Evelyn and Alex on your favorite social media platform that doesn't start with “X.”Moderated Content is produced in partnership by Stanford Law School and the Cyber Policy Center. Special thanks to John Perrino for research and editorial assistance.Like what you heard? Don't forget to subscribe and share the podcast with friends!

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: 4:05pm- Phil Kerpen—President of The Committee to Unleash Prosperity & President of American Commitment—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to breakdown a new study he helped conduct which concluded that the government-led shutdowns of businesses, schools, and churches to prevent the spread of COVID-19 resulted in a wide array of negative economic and social outcomes without providing any health benefits. You can find the full study here: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/240313_CTUP_COVIDCommitteeReport_Doc.pdf 4:20pm- Truth Social's stock price surged on Tuesday, and consequently so did Donald Trump's net worth. Amrith Ramkumar of The Wall Street Journal reports: “Shares of Donald Trump's social-media company surged 16% on their first day of trading, boosting the presidential candidate's fortune. The question is, how soon can he tap his roughly $4.5 billion stake in Truth Social? That is up to the board of Truth Social's parent company. The group includes his son, three former members of his administration and the former congressman who took a leading role in defending the former president in his first impeachment trial.” You can read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/finance/truth-social-stock-trades-dwac-trump-18a6cd74?mod=hp_lead_pos4 4:35pm- Joseph Mackinnon of Blaze Media writes: “CBS News' ‘60 Minutes' recently boosted the grievances of activists who fancy themselves online narrative curators, including so-called "misinformation expert" Kate Starbird, the cofounder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. The liberal news network framed Starbird as a defender of truth and a victim of conservative criticism but failed to mention critical biographic information about the so-called expert, namely that she's a partisan who has taken money from the Biden administration and is named as a defendant in an ongoing legal battle over censorship.” You can read the full article here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/60-minutes-omits-critical-details-about-misinformation-expert-otherwise-painted-as-victimized-researcher 4:50pm- The Philadelphia Phillies home opener has been rescheduled to Friday, March 29th at 3pm—but make sure you're still listening to Rich while watching the game!

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- Speaking from Oakland, California, Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that his running mate will be Nicole Shanahan, a Silicon Valley patent attorney who was once married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Shanahan explained: “There is only one moment in time and one candidate that I would step into this capacity for. That time is now. And that candidate is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.” 3:10pm- Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vice presidential selection far-left? Diana Glebova writes of Nicole Shanahan: “The 38-year-old, who has spoken about her involvement with criminal justice reformers in San Francisco, is the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, which has contributed more than $11.6 million to left-wing causes, according to a review of receipts by The Post. The bulk of that money, $10 million, went to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which passed the cash to organizations advocating for lighter prison terms and supporting lawyers representing illegal migrants in the US. The foundation also sent $625,000 to Impact Justice, which advocates giving homeowners stipends in exchange for housing newly released prisoners in private homes and whose founder, Alex Busansky, has called the US prison system ‘a direct legacy of slavery.'” You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2024/03/27/us-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-vp-pick-has-a-long-history-of-supporting-criminal-justice-reform/# 3:15pm- Joseph Mackinnon of Blaze Media writes: “CBS News' ‘60 Minutes' recently boosted the grievances of activists who fancy themselves online narrative curators, including so-called "misinformation expert" Kate Starbird, the cofounder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. The liberal news network framed Starbird as a defender of truth and a victim of conservative criticism but failed to mention critical biographic information about the so-called expert, namely that she's a partisan who has taken money from the Biden administration and is named as a defendant in an ongoing legal battle over censorship.” You can read the full article here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/60-minutes-omits-critical-details-about-misinformation-expert-otherwise-painted-as-victimized-researcher 3:45pm- During a conversation with YouTuber “Destiny,” Dr. Jordan Peterson disputed that government vaccine mandates were a net-benefit societally—citing his experiences with the draconian lockdowns and restrictions imposed by the Canadian government.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (03/27/2024): 3:05pm- Speaking from Oakland, California, Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that his running mate will be Nicole Shanahan, a Silicon Valley patent attorney who was once married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Shanahan explained: “There is only one moment in time and one candidate that I would step into this capacity for. That time is now. And that candidate is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.” 3:10pm- Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vice presidential selection far-left? Diana Glebova writes of Nicole Shanahan: “The 38-year-old, who has spoken about her involvement with criminal justice reformers in San Francisco, is the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, which has contributed more than $11.6 million to left-wing causes, according to a review of receipts by The Post. The bulk of that money, $10 million, went to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which passed the cash to organizations advocating for lighter prison terms and supporting lawyers representing illegal migrants in the US. The foundation also sent $625,000 to Impact Justice, which advocates giving homeowners stipends in exchange for housing newly released prisoners in private homes and whose founder, Alex Busansky, has called the US prison system ‘a direct legacy of slavery.'” You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2024/03/27/us-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-vp-pick-has-a-long-history-of-supporting-criminal-justice-reform/# 3:15pm- Joseph Mackinnon of Blaze Media writes: “CBS News' ‘60 Minutes' recently boosted the grievances of activists who fancy themselves online narrative curators, including so-called "misinformation expert" Kate Starbird, the cofounder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. The liberal news network framed Starbird as a defender of truth and a victim of conservative criticism but failed to mention critical biographic information about the so-called expert, namely that she's a partisan who has taken money from the Biden administration and is named as a defendant in an ongoing legal battle over censorship.” You can read the full article here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/60-minutes-omits-critical-details-about-misinformation-expert-otherwise-painted-as-victimized-researcher 3:45pm- During a conversation with YouTuber “Destiny,” Dr. Jordan Peterson disputed that government vaccine mandates were a net-benefit societally—citing his experiences with the draconian lockdowns and restrictions imposed by the Canadian government. 4:05pm- Phil Kerpen—President of The Committee to Unleash Prosperity & President of American Commitment—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to breakdown a new study he helped conduct which concluded that the government-led shutdowns of businesses, schools, and churches to prevent the spread of COVID-19 resulted in a wide array of negative economic and social outcomes without providing any health benefits. You can find the full study here: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/240313_CTUP_COVIDCommitteeReport_Doc.pdf 4:20pm- Truth Social's stock price surged on Tuesday, and consequently so did Donald Trump's net worth. Amrith Ramkumar of The Wall Street Journal reports: “Shares of Donald Trump's social-media company surged 16% on their first day of trading, boosting the presidential candidate's fortune. The question is, how soon can he tap his roughly $4.5 billion stake in Truth Social? That is up to the board of Truth Social's parent company. The group includes his son, three former members of his administration and the former congressman who took a leading role in defending the former president in his first impeachment trial.” You can read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/finance/truth-social-stock-trades-dwac-trump-18a6cd74?mod=hp_lead_pos4 4:35pm- Joseph Mackinnon of Blaze Media writes: “CBS News' ‘60 Minutes' recently boosted the grievances of activists who fancy themselves online narrative curators, including so-called "misinformation expert" Kate Starbird, the cofounder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. The liberal news network framed Starbird as a defender of truth and a victim of conservative criticism but failed to mention critical biographic information about the so-called expert, namely that she's a partisan who has taken money from the Biden administration and is named as a defendant in an ongoing legal battle over censorship.” You can read the full article here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/60-minutes-omits-critical-details-about-misinformation-expert-otherwise-painted-as-victimized-researcher 4:50pm- The Philadelphia Phillies home opener has been rescheduled to Friday, March 29th at 3pm—but make sure you're still listening to Rich while watching the game! 5:05pm- Julie Mitchel, co-administrator of container royal and a Baltimore port worker, told an ITV News broadcast that the container ship, Dali, which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge had been experiencing “serious power outages” while it was docked. 5:10pm- Joseph Mackinnon of Blaze Media writes: “CBS News' ‘60 Minutes' recently boosted the grievances of activists who fancy themselves online narrative curators, including so-called "misinformation expert" Kate Starbird, the cofounder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. The liberal news network framed Starbird as a defender of truth and a victim of conservative criticism but failed to mention critical biographic information about the so-called expert, namely that she's a partisan who has taken money from the Biden administration and is named as a defendant in an ongoing legal battle over censorship.” You can read the full article here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/60-minutes-omits-critical-details-about-misinformation-expert-otherwise-painted-as-victimized-researcher 5:40pm- Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vice presidential selection far-left? Diana Glebova writes of Nicole Shanahan: “The 38-year-old, who has spoken about her involvement with criminal justice reformers in San Francisco, is the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, which has contributed more than $11.6 million to left-wing causes, according to a review of receipts by The Post. The bulk of that money, $10 million, went to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which passed the cash to organizations advocating for lighter prison terms and supporting lawyers representing illegal migrants in the US. The foundation also sent $625,000 to Impact Justice, which advocates giving homeowners stipends in exchange for housing newly released prisoners in private homes and whose founder, Alex Busansky, has called the US prison system ‘a direct legacy of slavery.'” You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2024/03/27/us-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-vp-pick-has-a-long-history-of-supporting-criminal-justice-reform/# 5:45pm- BREAKING NEWS: Four-term U.S. Senator from Connecticut and former Democrat party Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman has died at age 82. You can read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/03/27/joe-lieberman-senator-vice-president-dead/ 6:05pm- Julie Mitchel, co-administrator of container royal and a Baltimore port worker, told an ITV News broadcast that the container ship, Dali, which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge had been experiencing “serious power outages” while it was docked. 6:10pm- Spencer Lindquist of The Daily Wire writes: “Voters say that immigration is the single biggest issue facing the country, with President Joe Biden facing his lowest approval rating over his handling of immigration, a new poll has found. The new Harvard Harris poll in conjunction with the Center for American Political Studies found that immigration is not only the top issue facing the country, but that Biden has the lowest approval rating on his handling of immigration compared to other issues.” You can read the full article here: https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-say-immigration-is-top-issue-facing-country-biden-faces-widespread-disapproval-on-immigration 6:20pm- According to a report from Katie Rodgers of The New York Times, “President Biden is making regular calls to former President Barack Obama to catch up on the race or to talk about family. But Mr. Obama is making calls of his own to Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House chief of staff, and to top aides at the Biden campaign to strategize and relay advice. This level of engagement illustrates Mr. Obama's support for Mr. Biden, but also what one of his senior aides characterized as Mr. Obama's grave concern that Mr. Biden could lose to former President Donald J. Trump. The aide, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Mr. Obama has ‘always' been worried about a Biden loss.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/26/us/politics/obama-biden.html 6:30pm- Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., the parent company for Truth Social, now has a market capitalization of $9.44 billion after seeing its stock rise more than 14% on Wednesday—which means Republicans presidential candidate Donald Trump, who owns 60% of the company, now has shares valued at $5.66 billion. 6:40pm- Would you pay $18,000 to become an alpha male?

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: 5:05pm- Julie Mitchel, co-administrator of container royal and a Baltimore port worker, told an ITV News broadcast that the container ship, Dali, which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge had been experiencing “serious power outages” while it was docked. 5:10pm- Joseph Mackinnon of Blaze Media writes: “CBS News' ‘60 Minutes' recently boosted the grievances of activists who fancy themselves online narrative curators, including so-called "misinformation expert" Kate Starbird, the cofounder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. The liberal news network framed Starbird as a defender of truth and a victim of conservative criticism but failed to mention critical biographic information about the so-called expert, namely that she's a partisan who has taken money from the Biden administration and is named as a defendant in an ongoing legal battle over censorship.” You can read the full article here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/60-minutes-omits-critical-details-about-misinformation-expert-otherwise-painted-as-victimized-researcher 5:40pm- Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vice presidential selection far-left? Diana Glebova writes of Nicole Shanahan: “The 38-year-old, who has spoken about her involvement with criminal justice reformers in San Francisco, is the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, which has contributed more than $11.6 million to left-wing causes, according to a review of receipts by The Post. The bulk of that money, $10 million, went to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which passed the cash to organizations advocating for lighter prison terms and supporting lawyers representing illegal migrants in the US. The foundation also sent $625,000 to Impact Justice, which advocates giving homeowners stipends in exchange for housing newly released prisoners in private homes and whose founder, Alex Busansky, has called the US prison system ‘a direct legacy of slavery.'” You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2024/03/27/us-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-vp-pick-has-a-long-history-of-supporting-criminal-justice-reform/# 5:45pm- BREAKING NEWS: Four-term U.S. Senator from Connecticut and former Democrat party Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman has died at age 82. You can read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/03/27/joe-lieberman-senator-vice-president-dead/

Mike Caulfield: Verified Mike Caulfield is a research scientist at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, where he studies the spread of online rumors and misinformation. He has taught thousands of teachers and students how to verify claims and sources through his workshops. His SIFT methodology is taught by hundreds of research libraries across North America, and a shorter version of SIFT instruction, developed with Google, has been taught in public libraries across the world. His work on Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers, won the Merlot Award for best open learning resource in the ICT category. His work has been covered by The New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the MIT Technology Review. He is the author with Sam Wineburg of Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online*. We've all seen something online that we thought was true, but turned out was a hoax. Annoying, but no big deal if it's just an internet meme from a friend or family member. But what if what you find online isn't at all what you thought and you make decisions or take action on it that affects your professional credibility? In this conversation, Mike and I discuss how to guard yourself from being duped. Key Points Rather than asking, “Is this true?” the more useful question is, “Do I know what I'm looking at here?” The cheap signals many of us were trained to watch for (working links, attractive design, about pages, proper domains) are easy to replicate and no longer correlate to credibility. Phrase questions to search engines in neutral ways for less biased results. Instead of “Are soda taxes a good idea?” ask “Do soda taxes work?” While Wikipedia still has bias, it's a far more credible source that many of us were taught — and a valuable source for a broad perspective of a topic or organization. Intelligent people often read vertically, to their detriment. The best fact-checkers read laterally by using the rest of the web to read the web. Watch for phrases like “sponsored content,” “brand partner,” “presented with,” “in partnership with,” “brought to you by,” “in association with,” or “hosted by.” These phrases signal advertisements. Resources Mentioned Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online* by Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Way to Make Better Decisions, with Annie Duke (episode 499) Get People Reading What You're Sending, with Todd Rogers (episode 666) How to Enhance Your Credibility (audio course) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

To its disciples, science can seem like an infallible tool to determine fundamental truths about the world that we live in. But the truth is, science can fall victim to misinformation, disinformation and fraud, like many other institutions. Some scientists have turned the proverbial microscope on science itself. Jevin West, an associate professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, and co-founder and inaugural director of the Center for an Informed Public at UW, visited the University of Nevada, Reno for a Discover Science lecture and was hosted on the Discover Science podcast by associate professor of statistics Paul Hurtado, and Madeleine Lohman, master's and doctoral student in the Department of Statistics and Data Science and the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology program. The three discuss issues related to trust in science, education about how to identify trustworthy information for people as young as kindergarteners to the elderly and how taking an interdisciplinary approach is critical to making progress in the information sciences.

According to a recent Pew Research Center report, nearly half of adults in the U.S. use Instagram. The social media platform is also popular with influencers who amass a large online following around a particular interest, like health and wellness. They can then leverage that popularity to profit from the sale of products and services they promote through their accounts.  But some influencers on Instagram are also profiting from the spread of misinformation, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Washington. The study looked at three Instagram influencers who spread vaccine misinformation with messaging that appealed to users with varying interests, from fashion to homeschooling. Those influencers posted content that linked to products such as essential oils they falsely claimed would cure colds, viruses and other ailments. Rachel Moran is the lead author of the study and a senior research scientist at the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. She joins us to share her findings. 

Craig Newmark, internet pioneer and founder of Craigslist, joins Nikita Roy to talk about the past, present, and future of AI. Craig is a visionary whose profound contributions have shaped the landscape of digital platforms and supported the pillars of journalism. As the founder of Craigslist, he revolutionized the classified ads sector and transformed how people buy, sell, and connect within their local communities. Beyond his impact on the internet's landscape, Craig is a dedicated philanthropist, notably through the Craig Newmark Philanthropies where he has become a beacon of support for the work of journalists. His philanthropic journey is marked by significant contributions to some of the leading journalism schools, including the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism, aiming for a future where education in journalism is accessible to all, free of tuition​​. Craig's generosity has been instrumental in establishing the Center for Journalism Ethics and Security at Columbia University. His vision for a well-informed public has also led to supporting the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public addressing the critical issues of mis- and disinformation​​.Craig Newmark Philanthropies has contributed to Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society which supported the launch of a three-year initiative called the Institute for Rebooting Social Media.Craig has contributed to several other universities, focusing on initiatives that support journalism, cybersecurity, public service for veterans, and the digital information ecosystem. In this episode, Craig shares his thoughts on the challenges posed by large language models and how philanthropy plays a vital role in supporting the integration of AI into journalism.

Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks to a panel of experts about Open A.I.'s Sora. What are the potential impacts of highly realistic text-to-video apps on our politics and the creative economy?Guests:Cade Metz, a technology reporter at the New York Times who covers artificial intelligence.Erin Heidenreich, a filmmaker and director of the documentary films “The War To Be Her” & “Rising Sons.”Jevin West, an associate professor at the University of Washington's Information School and a co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public.We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW:https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundside

Christine and Tamar stop by to tell us about the Digital Literacy webpage (https://www.wcls.org/digital-literacy/) they have created in cooperation with the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public through a grant from the National Science Foundation. 

The 'New Elites' of X: Identifying the Most Influential Accounts Engaged in Hamas/Israel Discourse is a public talk and discussion featuring UW Center for an Informed Public faculty Kate Starbird, Mert Bayar and Mike Caulfield. The event was held and recorded on Feb. 6, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. in the HUB South Ballroom at the University of Washington in Seattle. This event is part of our Winter 2024 War in the Middle East Lecture Series on the aftermath of Oct. 7, the war in Gaza and responses worldwide. Moderator: Resat Kasaba, Jackson School Professor and Middle East expert Sponsored by Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, Social Sciences Division at the College of Arts & Sciences, University of Washington, in partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

Since the 2020 election, conservative lawmakers and staffers have led a campaign against mis- and dis-information researchers like Kate Starbird, the director and co-founder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, arguing that the researchers are attempting to censor them, thus violating the First Amendment. But that argument itself would be misinformation, according to Starbird.

In this exclusive live session, Luiza Jarovsky discusses with Prof. Ryan Calo his article "Socio-Digital Vulnerability" (co-authored with Daniella DiPaola), as well as his scholarship around topics such as:online manipulationrobot lawartificial intelligenceprivacyand online vulnerabilityThis conversation will be extremely valuable to anyone working in tech, privacy, and artificial intelligence.Ryan Calo is the Lane Powell and D. Wayne Gittinger Professor at the University of Washington School of Law, a founding co-director of the interdisciplinary UW Tech Policy Lab, and a co-founder of the UW Center for an Informed Public. He is an internationally recognized and leading expert in his field, and his research on law and emerging technology appears in leading law reviews and technical publications. He has testified three times before the United States Senate and organized events on behalf of the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Obama White House. He has been a speaker at President Obama's Frontiers Conference, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and NPR's Weekend in Washington.Luiza Jarovsky is a lawyer, CEO of Implement Privacy, and author of Luiza's Newsletter.Read more about Luiza's work at https://www.luizajarovsky.comSubscribe to Luiza's Newsletter: https://www.luizasnewsletter.comCheck out the courses and training programs Luiza is leading at https://www.implementprivacy.comFollow Luiza on social media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luizajarovskyTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/luizaJarovskyYouTube: https://youtube.com/@luizajarovsky

Výzkumníci z Center for Informed Public při Washingtonské univerzitě ve své studii identifikovali účty, které měly největší vliv na informování uživatelů Twitteru(X) během prvních třech dnů od zahájení brutálních teroristických útoků Hamásu na Izrael.Výzkunníci identifikovali 7 účtů (Visegrad24, MarioNafwal, sentdefender, spectatorindex, Warmonitors, CollinRugg a CensoredMen) které během prvních 3 dnů krize zaznamenaly celkových 1.6miliardy shlédnutí svých tweetů, což je mnohonásobně více, než 112miliónů shlédnutí obsahu pocházejícího z účtů tzv. tradičních médií (CNN, BBC a další).Z tohoto důvodu studie tyto účty nazývá "Nové elity" (New Elites).Za jejich úspěchem pak podle všeho stojí několik faktorů - jednak tweetují násobně více, než tradiční média, nezdráhají se publikovat například násilný obsah, který je často v rozporu s etickými kodexy tradičních médií, který však právě díky silnému emočnímu náboji daleko lépe funguje s doporučovacími algoritmy a v neposlední řadě většinu těchto účtů v minulosti podpořil (ať už retweetem, komentářem, nebo lajkem) Elon Musk.Podpořte nás na https://www.herohero.co/kanarcivsiti . A nebo si kupte naše trička na https://www.neverenough.shop/kanarci . Podcast pro Vás připravují @alexalvarova a @holyj . Hudba a sound engineering: Psyek a deafmutedrecords.com . Twitter Spaces moderuje @jiribulan .Najdete nás na www.kanarci.online

Experts say disinformation around the Israel-Hamas war is running rampant. On this week's On the Media, a guide to understanding your feed in the midst of armed conflict. Plus, a deep dive into Saudi Arabia's rebranding experiment. 1. Mike Caulfield [@uwcip], a research scientist at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, Aric Toler [@AricToler], a reporter at the visual investigations team at the New York Times, and Shayan Sadarizadeh [@Shayan86], a journalist at BBC Monitoring and BBC Verify, on how to navigate your social media feed in the midst of the war in Israel and Gaza. Listen.  2. OTM correspondent Micah Loewinger [@MicahLoewinger] looks at Saudi Arabia's strategy to shore up its power, and the role the nation could play in negotiations for peace between Israel and Palestine. Featuring: Justin Scheck [@ScheckNYTimes], a reporter at the New York Times, and co-author of Blood and Oil: Mohammed Bin Salman's Ruthless Quest For Global Power, Ahmed Al Omran [@ahmed], a reporter based in Saudi Arabia, and Kim Ghattas [@KimGhattas], a writer at The Atlantic and author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East. Listen. 

Experts say disinformation around the Israel-Hamas war is running rampant. On this week's On the Media, a guide to understanding your feed in the midst of armed conflict. Plus, a deep dive into Saudi Arabia's rebranding experiment. 1. Mike Caulfield [@uwcip], a research scientist at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, Aric Toler [@AricToler], a reporter at the visual investigations team at the New York Times, and Shayan Sadarizadeh [@Shayan86], a journalist at BBC Monitoring and BBC Verify, on how to navigate your social media feed in the midst of the war in Israel and Gaza. Listen.  2. OTM correspondent Micah Loewinger [@MicahLoewinger] looks at Saudi Arabia's strategy to shore up its power, and the role the nation could play in negotiations for peace between Israel and Palestine. Featuring: Justin Scheck [@ScheckNYTimes], a reporter at the New York Times, and co-author of Blood and Oil: Mohammed Bin Salman's Ruthless Quest For Global Power, Ahmed Al Omran [@ahmed], a reporter based in Saudi Arabia, and Kim Ghattas [@KimGhattas], a writer at The Atlantic and author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East. Listen. 

THE NRA is on the docket. President Trump gave another amazing speech to wake up the masses. The enemy is trying desperately to silence us as this movie plays out. They don't want us providing information to the public about their lies and illegal operation overseas. They want to win this information warfare by making us criminals. Here we go.

Stanford's Evelyn Douek and Alex Stamos weigh in on the latest online trust and safety news and developments:The Election Integrity Partnership, led by the Stanford Internet Observatory and the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public, analyzed narratives with the potential to interfere in or delegitimize the 2022 midterm elections. - Election Integrity Partnership, @EI_Partnership, EIP Post-Election Update (.pdf)A divided Congress will likely mean more gridlock with a lot of smoke but no fire on Capitol Hill. - Ashley Gold, Peter Allen Clark/ Axios, Cristiano Lima/ The Washington Post,  Frank Konkel, Mariam Baksh, Kirsten Errick, Alexandra Kelley/ Nextgov, Anna Edgerton/ Bloomberg News A lot happened at Twitter:Chief Twit Elon Musk got into a Twitter feud with Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) over impersonation issues on the site. - Ashley Capoot/ CNBCTwitter may have violated a Federal Trade Commission consent decree with the top brass who would be held responsible resigning the day the company's reporting was due. Musk dismissed potential personal liability, although Uber's former CSO knows that risk is real. - Brian Fung/ CNN, Department of Justice, @Riana_CryptoStanford Internet Observatory Research Scholar Riana Pfefferkorn and data protection and privacy law expert Whitney Merrill will dig into this more with Evelyn later this week!Twitter is at serious risk of a breach with departures by the security, privacy, compliance, and trust and safety leaders last week and a drastic staff reduction. - John Sakellariadis/ Politico, @alexstamosMusk tweeted that he is “turning off the ‘microservices' bloatware” and seemingly fired an employee for tweeting that Musk didn't know what he was talking about. Now, two-factor authentication may be broken. - @elonmusk, Michael Kan/ PC Magazine, @josephmennMusk tweeted about Brazilian politics this morning… we are sure that will end well! He's previously promised to look into allegations of censorship in the country by far-right political figures in the country. - @elonmusk, Andrew Downie/ The GuardianA spoofed Twitter account resembling Eli Lilly and Co. with a purchased blue “verified” check mark tweeted that “insulin is free now,” causing the real company's market cap to drop $15 billion. Now, the company paused its Twitter ads, worth millions of dollars, and may pursue legal action. - Kyle Barr/ Gizmodo, Drew Harwell/ The Washington PostEvelyn has her calendar marked for the Big Game, a matchup of two 3-7 teams on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT. “Give 'em the axe, the axe, the axe!” - ESPNJoin the conversation and connect with Evelyn and Alex on Twitter at @evelyndouek and @alexstamos.Moderated Content is produced in partnership by Stanford Law School and the Cyber Policy Center. Special thanks to John Perrino for research and editorial assistance.Like what you heard? Don't forget to subscribe and share the podcast with friends!

The former President and his supporters continue to sow doubt in the outcome of the 2020 election, and in the election system more generally. Now, with the the 2022 midterm elections just a month away, a number of observers are perplexed at the posture of large social media platforms, where false claims continue to fester and efforts to mitigate misinformation always seem puny compared to the scale of the problem. This week we hear from three experts who are following these issues closely:  Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights, Free Press Paul Barrett, Deputy Director, Center for Business & Human Rights, NYU Stern School of Business Mike Caulfield, Research Scientist at the Center for an Informed Public, University of Washington

THE THESIS: It was never about Alex Jones. It was about you. The Party is tired of being questioned, they demand we obey. Since that has proven difficult to achieve, they are doing that against which George Orwell warned: they are disappearing not just questioners, but the knowledge required to be an informed skeptic: how can we debate Covid policy when people have been conned into believing we don't have immune systems? Can Americans have an honest debate about race when “whiteness” and its inherent, “original pseudo-sin”  is government policy? Not only is this a tyrannical act of mental abuse, it is distinctly ungodly.   THE SCRIPTURE & SCRIPTURAL RESOURCES:  The Bible is filled with people questioning and even trying to debate God. Notice that neither God, The Father or the second member of The Trinity, Jesus Chist banned debate or went around punishing questioners. I found the references in the article helpful.  Is it Wrong to Question God?; God loves every questioner regardless of our motives in the question. Our questions to God should be asked with a respectful and humble attitude of faith. The ultimate answer to every life's question is found in Jesus Christ. THE NEWS & COMMENT: Just minutes after posting new footage of the NY Times good friend, Ray Epps yelling at people to go to the Capital, the Twitter account was deleted. I got the audio before Twitter zapped it. It's in the show, but I cannot link to it.  Oddly enough, I was planning to discuss how the government's social media publishers--remember: they are not platforms--are banning any promotion of a film about Alex Jones. This isn't a film by, Alex Jones, it's not a movie promoting Jones, nor does it attack him (or so I am led to believe). Still, all of The Party's social media publishers refused to let the producers advertise it . . . but, wait until the hilariously good news about that! [AUDIO] - Facebook, Google censor Alex Jones documentary; Flo Read spoke to director Alex Lee Moyer about the suppression of her film Alex Lee Moyer is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker whose films have appeared at Sundance and SWSX festivals. Her latest movie — made with independent production company Play Nice — is called Alex's War. It is an investigation of Alex Jones, but despite it only being on only out on pre-sale, she has already found that her attempts to market the film have been blocked by the social media giants because of the controversial subject matter. According to Play Nice, when the team first released the documentary trailer, they were blocked by Instagram from adding paid promotion of it. Even posts screenshotting a Washington Post article that mentioned Alex's War was rejected. They were informed they were being rejected to ‘protect our community.' Three times this week, important, relevant news has broken while I was recording the show. This time, just as I was going through The Party's banning of the name Alex Jones, the German government was finally forced to admit what everyone in the Podcast family knows: huge numbers of people are being injured by the mRNA injections.  Of course, The Party has obviously banned all mention of that in America using threats against peoples's careers and medical licenses.  The German government admits hundreds of thousands of people have had severe side effects following mRNA shots; The risk-benefit of the Covid vaccines is getting worse and worse and worse We all know that only Democrats get to question election integrity (because Mitch McConnell and Kevin Mccarthy are moral cowards, afraid to even ask the obvious questions). Things are now reaching a truly funny level of desperation from The Party. In the separate Country of Washington, the new Secretary of State who replaced “Republican” Kym Wyman, who has joined the Biden regime, is giving a presentation where he will predict what lies we are going to tell about the election. From his email to the media:  “Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the Office of the Secretary of State Elections Division, and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, will be hosting an in-person roundtable to discuss likely false narratives surrounding the 2022 elections in Washington state.” The “Center for an Informed Public” still pretends the injections stop transmission and infection; they still pretend Washington's dictator, Jay Inslee hasn't been twice caught lying about Cobvid deaths. That will make it easier for them to pretend elections there are safe and secure. How could I utter such a conspiracy theory? Because of things like this: How a napkin can be counted as a vote in Washington, and why election officials say it's secure John Solomon has a write-up on election integrity worth bookmarking:  21 reasons to distrust the 2020 elections PS: good thing illegals won't get to vote . . .  House Republicans Demand Answers on Reports of Federal Resources Used to Transport Illegal Immigrant Minors to Get Abortions; “This outrageous use of federal resources to transport minors across state lines for abortions or otherwise providing or facilitating abortions in DHS or HHS custody is a heinous act and must be stopped.” All of these very obvious acts of censorship by The Party caused me to ponder just how much has been disappeared from us. In the show, I go into great depth about how The Party has stolen from 90% of Americans any real understanding of the spiritual battle, which makes articles like this scary for people to read. And, it connect back to why my show is not allowed to advertise on Facebook: we talk about the things that are never to be discussed and ask questions not to be asked. I have severe disagreements with Alex Jones, buy seeing the mere mention of his name banned has caused me to decide I need to spend time listening to him. Because, something tells me, while I will still have major disagreements with him given my personal history, I will hear a man who is often spot-on about The Party.  The Demonic Origins of Planned Parenthood, Part I: A Darwinian Sex Cult The Demonic Origins of Planned Parenthood, Part II: Channeling Dark Spirits, Sacrificing Children See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights https://bhr.stern.nyu.edu/youtube-report (released a report on YouTube) that Tech Policy Press Editor Justin Hendrix helped write with the Center's Deputy Director, Paul Barrett. YouTube is generally understood to have avoided the scrutiny of journalists, researchers and lawmakers, at least relative to other social media platforms like Facebook. But there is a cost to flying under the radar.  To address some of the key issues, this episode features two segments. The first is a conversation with Paul Barrett, and the second with two of the sources for the report, University of Washington associate professor and Center for an Informed Public cofounder Kate Starbird and Mnemonic Associate Director of Advocacy Dia Kayyali. 

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to simmer, there is a good amount of science emerging about the relationship between the information environment and vaccine uptake. Today we'll hear from two researchers from different disciplines about their work on social media and vaccine misinformation. First up is John Alexander Bryden, Executive Director of the Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University, with whom I discuss the results of some recent research his team had conducted on the problem. And second, I speak with Kolina Koltai, who when I interviewed her at the end of April was transitioning from her position as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for an Informed Public at The University of Washington to a role at Twitter. 

Most professionals will tell you, career paths are rarely a straight line. On this episode guest co-hosts Elana Zeide and Elsbeth Magilton welcome our advisory board member, Sue Glueck. Glueck is the Senior Director of Academic Relations for Microsoft Corporation's legal department where she works on AI and ethics, the future of work, privacy, and a myriad of other topics. In March 2022 she met group of law and graduate students at Nebraska about figuring out “Life After Graduation.” She spoke with us about her journey and her current interests at Microsoft - including quantum computing! Sue provided some additional links for listeners! Check them out here: The book I mentioned on Quantum Policy is Law and Policy for the Quantum Age (cambridge.org) co-authored by Professor Chris Hoofnagle at Berkeley Law and Simson L. Garfinkel. I mentioned misinformation/disinformation and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public (https://www.cip.uw.edu) - specifically a class created by two of the professors titled “Calling Bullshit.” Now it's a book! Calling Bullshit by Carl T. Bergstrom, Jevin D. West: 9780525509202 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books. Microsoft has a website that features the tech policy work of over 170 scholars - it's a great way to get to know the latest in tech policy - Technology | Academics | Policy - / (techpolicy.com). You can follow on Twitter at TAP (@TAPolicy) / Twitter. Here's an article about AI I didn't mention but think everyone interested in AI policy should read: Moral Crumple Zones: Cautionary Tales in Human-Robot Interaction (pre-print) by Madeleine Clare Elish

In 2020, the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington took a look at misinformation being spread online about voting in person and by mail. They found a surprising number of social media posts in Vietnamese.

Most professionals will tell you, career paths are rarely a straight line. On this episode guest co-hosts Elana Zeide and Elsbeth Magilton welcome our advisory board member, Sue Glueck. Glueck is the Senior Director of Academic Relations for Microsoft Corporation's legal department where she works on AI and ethics, the future of work, privacy, and a myriad of other topics. In March 2022 she met group of law and graduate students at Nebraska about figuring out “Life After Graduation.” She spoke with us about her journey and her current interests at Microsoft - including quantum computing!Sue provided some additional links for listeners! Check them out here:The book I mentioned on Quantum Policy is Law and Policy for the Quantum Age (cambridge.org) co-authored by Professor Chris Hoofnagle at Berkeley Law and Simson L. Garfinkel.I mentioned misinformation/disinformation and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public (https://www.cip.uw.edu) - specifically a class created by two of the professors titled “Calling Bullshit.”  Now it's a book!  Calling Bullshit by Carl T. Bergstrom, Jevin D. West: 9780525509202 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books.Microsoft has a website that features the tech policy work of over 170 scholars - it's a great way to get to know the latest in tech policy - Technology | Academics | Policy - / (techpolicy.com).  You can follow on Twitter at TAP (@TAPolicy) / Twitter.Here's an article about AI I didn't mention but think everyone interested in AI policy should read:  Moral Crumple Zones: Cautionary Tales in Human-Robot Interaction (pre-print) by Madeleine Clare Elish

Information is abundant. Your attention is priceless. Chris & Kayla kick off S4 of Cult or Just Weird by finding a pretty darn good helper, who has some advice all of us stand to benefit from. --- *Search Categories* Anthropological; Internet culture; Conspiracy Theory --- *Topic Spoiler* Interview w/ Mike Caulfield of UW's Center for an Informed Public --- *Further Reading* https://www.cip.uw.edu/ https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/ https://hapgood.us/2021/06/12/participatory-propaganda-tropes-and-trope-field-fit-part-one/ https://projectinfolit.org/pubs/provocation-series/essays/information-literacy-for-mortals.html https://www.cip.uw.edu/2022/03/02/misinfoday-2022-workshops/ https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/io https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/joan-donovan   --- *Patreon Credits* Michaela Evans, Heather Aunspach, Annika Ramen, Zero Serres, Alyssa Ottum Jenny Lamb, Matthew Walden, Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney, Erin Bratu, Liz T, Lianne Cole, Samantha Bayliff, Katie Larimer, Fio H, Jessica Senk, Proper Gander, Kelly Smith Upton, Nancy Carlson, Carly Westergard-Dobson, banana, Megan Blackburn, ISeeSpidersWhereThereAreNone

This week: fake fact-checking videos take disinformation to a different level. For MisinfoDay we talk to expert Jevin West from the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. Sandra Peter (Sydney Business Insights) and Kai Riemer (Digital Futures Research Group) meet once a week to put their own spin on news that is impacting the future of business in The Future, This Week. You can find transcripts, links for the curious and more episodes on our website: https://sbi.sydney.edu.au/fake-fact-checking-and-disinformation/ Subscribe to our new podcast, The Unlearn Project. You can follow us to keep updated with our latest insights on Flipboard, LinkedIn, Twitter and WeChat. Send us your news ideas to sbi@sydney.edu.au. We read your emails. Music by Cinephonix. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today is a discussion of DISINFORMATION IN THE PANDEMIC with returning COVIDCalls guest Kate Starbird. Kate Starbird is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) at the University of Washington (UW). Kate's research is situated within human-computer interaction and the emerging field of crisis informatics—the study of the how social media and other information-communication technologies are used during crisis events. Currently, her work focuses on the production and spread of online rumors, misinformation, and disinformation in the context of crisis events. Starbird is a co-founder of the UW Center for an Informed Public.

This week: fake fact-checking videos take disinformation to a different level. For MisinfoDay we talk to expert Jevin West from the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. Sandra Peter (Sydney Business Insights) and Kai Riemer (Digital Futures Research Group) meet once a week to put their own spin on news that is impacting the future of business in The Future, This Week. You can find transcripts, links for the curious and more episodes on our website: https://sbi.sydney.edu.au/fake-fact-checking-and-disinformation/ Subscribe to our new podcast, The Unlearn Project. You can follow us to keep updated with our latest insights on Flipboard, LinkedIn, Twitter and WeChat. Send us your news ideas to sbi@sydney.edu.au. We read your emails. Music by Cinephonix. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leonard Steinhorn on the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict // Scott Radnitz and Jevin West from the Center for an Informed Public on Ukraine/Russian misinformation // Margaret Brennan on Russia's plans in Ukraine // Hanna Scott on the latest developments in Susan Cox Powell's case // Dose of Kindness -- Operation Victory gifts Marine Corps veteran a home of his own // Gee Scott on Trump's support of Putin and the pope knocking on Russian embassy's door // Rachel Belle on magical mushroom coffee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a minute and I wanted to come back with something light-hearted and fun. So, today, we’re going to talk about the Canadian conspiracist truck convoy, the impending U.S. version of this thing (that I hope I’m wrong about!), and how social media and influencers are helping drive it. So, just a refresher: the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” consists of truckers and various support agents using their big rigs and pickups to physically block off the Ottawa capitol and key border crossings with the U.S. And I mean, you know that anytime the word “freedom” is attached to an event or “movement,” white grievances are about to get AIRED THE F**K OUT.The “Freedom Convoy” is ostensibly protesting a new piece of Canadian legislation that requires unvaccinated Canadian truckers to isolate for 2 weeks upon returning from the U.S. Unvaccinated foreign truckers aren’t allowed in the country. There sure has been a lot of attention given to these anti-vax protesters while *checks notes* 90% of Canadian truck drivers are vaccinated.To nobody’s surprise, the movement’s leaders and organizers are some combination of the following list: racists, xenophobes, conspiricists, QAnon believers, and more. They’re anti-labor and boyyyyy do they not believe in science. Or the government, obviously. And look: there may be some convoy sympathizers who have a simple, narrow desire to protest vaccine mandates—a position I largely disagree with but one that people can certainly voice their opposition to! But it’s pretty very clear that this movement was built opportunistically by its leaders, laundering far-right ideology into public debate about mandates. This is the right on-ramping sympathizers and adjacents to a bigger platform.This truck blockade strategy is likely to be employed in the U.S. in the near future. At what scale or frequency remains to be seen. How DHS and other authorities preemptively plan for them will be interesting. But you know an American version has the potential to be even more stupid, more media-able and potentially dangerous than the Canadian variety. In practice, U.S convoys will look like a Trump 2024 x Let’s Go Brandon/Stop The Steal x QAnon x Conspirituality (see below) collaboration. The merch will absolutely suck. And while the venn diagram for those four groups isn’t a perfect concentric circle, there’s enough overlap and the possibility that these convoys make the circles tighter. Fun!Again, I hope I’m wrong. I hope none of this comes to fruition. Given my personal and professional interests, I’m looking at two things, specifically: how social media/platforms serve as key organizing spaces. And influencers. Not just far-right influencers who you’d obviously expect. I’m talking—takes deep breath, exhales—health and wellness influencers.Turns out, a lot of them are very vocally supporting the convoy on social media. From Rolling Stone:Influencers publicly supporting the convoy, which started in protest against trucker vaccine mandates and has left the country’s capitol city of Ottawa immobilized for the past 11 days, is the natural culmination of the wellness community’s increasing convergence with anti-vaccine or Covid-denying conspiracy theories, all in the name of supporting personal freedom and bodily autonomy. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a gradual yet palpable shift in the wellness community toward conspirituality, a portmanteau of “conspiracy theories” and “spirituality” constituting a mélange of woo mysticism and distrust toward the mainstream medical establishment, with a healthy dose of libertarianism thrown in for good measure. This strain has infiltrated all corners of the wellness ecosystem, from natural childbirth influencers to yoga teachers on Instagram.Back to these protests being literal vehicles for far-right ideology. In the U.S., you get the sense that the right is looking for a January 6, 2.0, the next wave of “action” and participation for a grieved movement, whether people are more “yes, let’s do an insurrection” or more “well, you know, they do make some interesting points and also I’m against the government.” I hope to god a convoy—or whatever happens next—has less violence and vitriol, and that they don’t physically storm into federal or state buildings again, but that’s what these angry, privileged people love to do. With guns. Who knows if we’ll see one, big, massive convoy in LA or NYC or Dallas, or if this will be an aggregate thing with convoys all over.Organizers in Canada have been painstakingly trying to frame the convoys as non-partisan and about peaceful action and, of course, freedom. They’re working on better PR after January 6th. They’ve taken learnings and applied them. That seems to be working to some degree in Canada and you can expect U.S. organizers to try to frame their convoys similarly.It’s a “we the people versus the elites” kind of thing rather than a “we want to arrest members of the government” or “COVID was purposefully released from a Chinese lab reduce the population of white people” thing, even though that’s what several of the Canadian movement’s leaders are perpetuating.And this is why white health and wellness influencers are so important here. They have massive, built-in, wildly loyal audiences that are willing to trust their every word. From the aforementioned Rolling Stone article, here’s Rachel Moran, a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for an Informed Public, a research institute at the University of Washington that looks at mis- and disinformation:Those kinds of accounts are the most nefarious in a way. They’re really good at building trust with people, especially these glamorous white women who fit what we deem to be attractive. Maybe you trust their advice about what workout gear you’re gonna wear, and you build this parasocial relationship with them, and then they’re suddenly sharing this information about vaccine misinformation. And you’re more inclined to believe it because you have trust in them.So, as these stupid-but-very-real convoys potentially start to hit stateside, let’s see what kind of new (white) voices and new (also very white) audiences start yelling or tooting horns as they try to play prosecuted martyrs in a system literally designed and governed for them.For more on the topic, check out this piece about the wellness-to-white supremacy pipeline.Be back soon, maybe with something actually more light-hearted. But also maybe with thoughts about these dumb convoys. (I hope I’m wrong about it all.) Get full access to Greg's Newsletter at greg.substack.com/subscribe

12PM - The Big Lead // Jayapal compares not wearing a mask is like Jan 6 // Center for Informed Public at UW on 'dis-information' // GUEST: Scott Hamilton, author of Air Wars, on the new Netflix Boeing Max documentary // Listener feedback See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Dr. Kate Starbird is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington, where she co-founded the Center for an Informed Public, which is dedicated to resisting strategic misinformation, promoting an informed society, and strengthening democratic discourse. Her academic research focuses on how people use social media platforms during crises such as natural disasters, mass shootings, and lately, antidemocratic insurgencies.  You can follow Dr. Starbird on Twitter at @katestarbird Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ellison Center Director Scott Radnitz presents his lecture "Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region" on January 13, 2022. The lecture presents Radnitz's book by the same title, and is moderated by Jacqueline Miller, World Affairs Council of Seattle President and CEO, with Discussant Paul Stronski from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This lecture is part of the Ellison Center's 2021-22 Lecture Series, "Scheming and Subversion: Conspiracy in Post-Soviet Space." More information can be found at bit.ly/EllisonTalks2022 Scott Radnitz is the Herbert J. Ellison Associate Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His research deals primarily with the post-Soviet region and topics such as protests, authoritarianism, informal networks, and identity. His work employs surveys, focus groups, and experimental methodologies. His forthcoming book is “Enemies Within: The Global Politics of Fifth Columns,” edited with Harris Mylonas (GWU), and is under contract with Oxford University Press. His most recent book, “Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region” came out with Oxford University Press in 2021. It investigates why politicians in the region promote conspiratorial claims and what effects that has. His first book, “Weapons of the Wealthy: Predatory Regimes and Elite-Led Protests in Central Asia,” was published by Cornell University Press in 2010. Articles have appeared in journals including Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Democracy, Political Geography, Political Communication, and Post-Soviet Affairs. Policy commentary has appeared in Foreign Policy, The National Interest, The Guardian, Slate, and the Monkey Cage/Washington Post blog. He is an associate editor of Communist and Post-Communist Studies, a faculty member at UW's Center for an Informed Public, and a member of the Program on New Approaches to Research and Security (PONARS) in Eurasia. He teaches the following courses: States, Markets, and Societies; Contemporary Central Asian Politics; Post-Soviet Security; Interdisciplinary Survey of Eurasia; Failed States; Research Design and Methods; and Social Movements and Revolutions. This lecture is hosted by the Ellison Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle.

In this episode, Prof. Ryan Calo speaks to Nicolas Wittstock about interdisciplinary work in the UW Tech Policy Lab and UW Center for an Informed Public. What's more, they discuss Ryan's work on the increasing use of automated tools by administrative agencies.

Today, we've got two separate but related conversations about social media and how it intersects with democracy and society. In the first segment, we're going to hear from Jeff Allen and Sahar Massachi, two former Facebook employees who are the founders of the Integrity Institute, a new nonprofit organization. They believe one solution to the problems on social media is the development of a community of integrity professionals with experience at a variety of social media platforms that can come together to address problems and share best practices together. Then, we're going to look under the hood of some fresh ideas about how to democratize policymaking on social media platforms from Aviv Ovadya, a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and author of a proposal titled "Towards Platform Democracy: Policymaking Beyond Corporate CEOs and Partisan Pressure." To help evaluate Aviv's ideas, I'm also joined by Joe Bak-Coleman, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public, and Renée DiResta, technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory.

In this episode, we discuss the misinformation "infodemic" with Prof. Kate Starbird of the UW's Center for an Informed Public. Dr. Starbird studies how social media and other messaging spreads around the world. We explore how we can tell fact from fiction and how to fight the spread of disinformation in our lives. And yes, she is Kate Starbird the basketball star! So at the end of the episode, we talk a bit about the state of women's basketball and about retiring from professional sports and finding a new calling. In addition to her work at the Center, Kate is an associate professor in the UW's Human Centered Design and Engineering department, on the faculty of the Paul G. Allen Computer Science and Engineering program and a data science fellow at the eScience Institute.

Chances are, you've been exposed to vaccine misinformation. And you could be at risk of believing it. This week, Dr. Kolina Koltai joins Jonathan to explore how vaccine misinformation travels online, why it's so dangerous, and how you can stop it from spreading. Dr. Kolina Koltai is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on the anti-vaccine community's use of sociotechnical systems to find, share, and assess vaccine misinformation. She received her PhD in 2020 in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. You can follow her on Twitter @kolinakoltai.Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com.Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.

Jenny Durkan outlines final budget of her tenure, aims to address homelessness // CNN: “Substack's CEO wants writers to publish what they want — even if it's wrong” // GUEST: Tyler Miller will be joined by speakers on October 3rd to protest mandates in Olympia “People's livelihoods should not be held hostage to so-called public safety” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What moderation tactics have you used or seen as a mechanism to curtail the spread of misinformation in communities and on social media platforms? Word detection, link blocking, and digital stickers promoting legitimate information sources may immediately come to mind. But what would happen if you ran your moderation tools against URLs shared in link-in-bio services used in your community? Or what if you learned that folks on your platform were using specific codewords to circumvent word detection? Or posting screenshots of misinformation rather than using plain-text? People are getting creative with how they share all types of information online, misinformation included. Are our moderation strategies keeping up? In this discussion, Patrick chats with Joseph Schafer, an undergraduate student of Computer Science and Ethics at the University of Washington and Rachel Moran, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. They discuss their research and how anti-vaccine advocates are circumventing content moderation efforts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and large social networks. Some of their findings might surprise you! For example, specific folk theories have emerged that define how some believe social platforms and algorithms work to moderate their content and conversations. And whether these theories are true or not, the strategies forming around them do seem to help people keep questionable content up long enough for researchers to come across it. So, where do we start? How can we detect misinformation if people are using codewords like pizza or Moana to get around our tools and teams? There may not be precise solutions here just yet, but Rachel and Joseph both offer ideas to help us down the right path, which starts with deciding that the engagement that brews around misinformation is not safe for the long-term health of your community. Among our topics: Why Linktree needs community guidelines and how link-in-bio sites have become a vector for misinformation The folk theories that are informing how we perceive and operate around social media algorithms Adapting your moderation strategies to better find misinformation Our Podcast is Made Possible By… If you enjoy our show, please know that it's only possible with the generous support of our sponsor: Vanilla, a one-stop shop for online community. Big Quotes Using lexical variation to circumvent moderation filters (2:45): “They found this big group of people who were using ‘dancing' or other kinds of verbs to mean getting the vaccine. Complete replacement of the word [vaccine]. You wouldn't know that that meant vaccination unless you were a member of that community and had the institutional knowledge that comes with being a member. We see [lexical variation] on a spectrum.” –@rachelemoran Emojis, code words, and symbols can form the insider language of a community (3:08): “We see ‘v@ccine' where the A is an @ sign or people using the vaccine emoji rather than using the word at all. They believe that if they put that instead of spelling out vaccine, … they'll avoid being caught up in the algorithmic moderation that happens on platforms.” –@rachelemoran Misinformation finds a hiding place in link-in-bios (5:05): “There's a variety of ways that you can … get around [link blocks]. One might be, for example, using a screenshot of an article or something that is vaccine misinformation, rather than putting in the text of the misinformation directly. … There's also various websites like URL shorteners or URL compilers, or even just a Word document … that is filled with links to sites that maybe these major platforms are moderating and blocking.” –@joey__schafer Using vaccination promotion tools to promote anti-vaccine content (10:56): “[On Instagram stories, you can use] that little sticker that says, ‘Let's get vaccinated.' Then Instagram collates those of your friends that have [used that] sticker … and it goes at the top of your [stories section]. … [We're seeing people] put a sticker over the top of that sticker or they are like, ‘Let's not get vaccinated.'” –@rachelemoran The engagement surrounding misinformation isn't good for the long-term health of your community or your business (32:06): “Part of the problem with misinformation is that it's really engaging. When you're making money off of engagement, there's only so far you're going to go to take down misinformation without going too far into your bottom line. … I feel like there is a tide-turning moment happening where the bigger platforms are realizing that misinformation is a vulnerability that degrades the product that can have economic disadvantages.” –@rachelemoran About Joseph Schafer and Rachel Moran Joseph Schafer is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington, studying Computer Science and Ethics. He has also worked as a research assistant for the university's Center for an Informed Public since January of 2020, studying various forms of online misinformation and disinformation. Joseph hopes to pursue graduate school in information science, in order to understand how misinformation takes advantage of recently developed socio-technical systems, like social media, to influence our society. Rachel Moran is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. Moran received her doctoral degree from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Her research explores the role of trust in digital information environments and is particularly concerned with how trust is implicated in the spread of mis- and dis-information. Her research has been published in academic journals and been covered by the New York Times, Vox, Vice, and others. She was also an affiliate fellow at George Washington University's Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics and UNC Chapel Hills' Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. Related Links Sponsor: Vanilla, a one-stop-shop for online community Joseph Schafer on Twitter Joseph Schafer's website Rachel Moran on Twitter University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public Content moderation avoidance strategies, via The Virality Project Anti-vaccine groups changing into ‘dance parties' on Facebook to avoid detection, via NBC News Linktree's community guidelines First I “like” it, then I hide it: Folk Theories of Social Feeds Dr. Jennifer Beckett on Community Signal A top spreader of coronavirus misinformation says he will delete his posts after 48 hours, via the New York Times Election Integrity Partnership, which Joseph and Rachel both worked on Jay Rosen on Community Signal Transcript View transcript on our website Your Thoughts If you have any thoughts on this episode that you'd like to share, please leave me a comment, send me an email or a tweet. If you enjoy the show, we would be so grateful if you spread the word and supported Community Signal on Patreon.

Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news abound and it's increasingly difficult to know what's true. Our media environment has become hyperpartisan. Science is conducted by press release. Jevin West is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington. He directs the Center for an Informed Public, whose mission is to resist strategic misinformation, promote an informed society, and strengthen democratic discourse. He is co-author with Carl Bergstrom of “Calling Bullshit,” a book on how to spot and refute misinformation.

Kate Starbird stops by Passing Judgment to discuss how to create an informed public and strengthen democratic discourse. She also talks about how to fight misinformation and disinformation. Kate is the co-founder the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Have you ever wondered what it means to be data literate in a world of big data and AI? Now that so many decisions rely on information that is only readable by machine and our statistical intuitions, which were bad before, are now practically useless, what is data literacy in the age of AI and how important is it? We talked with Jevin West, assistant professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, co-founder of the DataLab, director of the Center for an Informed Public and co-author of the acclaimed book Calling B******t to ask these questions and more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artificiality.substack.com

Social media, message apps and other digital communications technologies restructure the ways in which information flows, and thus how humans interact with one another, how they make sense of the world and how they come to consensus on how to deal with problems. Now, more than a dozen researchers at multiple universities who study technology, behavior and complex systems believe questions about the impact of communications technology on collective behavior should be regarded as a “crisis discipline,” noting that “the vulnerability of these systems to misinformation and disinformation poses a dire threat to health, peace, global climate and more.” In a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they call on researchers and social media executives to take a Hippocratic oath and pledge first to do no harm to humanity. To hear more, we caught up with three of the authors- Joseph B. Bak-Coleman, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public and the lead author the paper; Carl T. Bergstrom, a UW professor of biology and member of the Center for an Informed Public; and Rachel Moran, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public who studies disinformation and trust in information environments.

Joe Bak-Coleman, UW Center for an Informed Public, on communications as a "crisis discipline" // Hanna Scott on turning in signatures for the Compassion Seattle charter amendment // hris Sullivan's Chokepoint -- Good to Go 2-week shutdown and the memorial procession for SPD Officer Lexi Harris // Dose of Kindness -- you're never too old to be a bat girl // Gee Scott on the reversal of Bill Cosby's conviction See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artificial intelligence is perhaps the most hyped technology in the world. In today's episode, we're going to hear a discussion that invites the listener to think about how money, power and other troubling forces and ideas that shape our society are built into AI systems and the ways we think about deploying them. In May, the University of Washington's Tech Policy Lab and Center for an Informed Public cohosted a virtual book talk featuring Kate Crawford, a leading scholar of the social implications of artificial intelligence and author of the recently published book, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence published this spring by Yale University Press, in conversation with Ryan Calo, co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public co-founder, founding co-director of the interdisciplinary UW Tech Policy Lab and a UW School of Law professor.

Thursday, May 13, 2021 to Thursday, May 20, 2021 Hoover Institution, Stanford University   The Hoover Institution along with the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Europe Center host Security in the Age of Liberal Democratic Erosion​ on Thursday, May 13 and Thursday, May 20. Cosponsored by the Hoover Institution, the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Europe Center, the virtual two-part panel series Security in the Age of Liberal Democratic Erosion will focus on the critical security challenges facing liberal democracies and examine the threats of external adversaries and how democracies can respond.  Liberal democracy rests on the rule of law and common trust in fundamental institutions such as elections, courts, legislatures, and the executive branches of government. Yet both in the United States and elsewhere, trust in these institutions has eroded as charges of fake news, electoral fraud, biased courts, and increased authoritarianism have taken hold. On May 13, 2021, the discussion will focus on Adversaries: how foreign actors such as Russia, China, and Iran interact with domestic threats to institutions and the functioning of liberal democracy. Panelists will examine dangers of sharp and soft power, misinformation, and attacks on sensitive electoral and physical infrastructure. The featured experts will be Elizabeth Economy, Michael McFaul, Abbas Milani, and Kate Starbird.  On May 20, 2021, the discussion will focus on appropriate Responses, and whether and how liberal democracies should respond to these threats. Panelists will address the tools and policies available to combat such hazards, as well as their limitations. The featured experts will be Rose Gottemoeller, H. R. McMaster, Jacquelyn Schneider, and Amy Zegart.  Both panel discussions will be moderated by Anna Grzymala-Busse and held at 10:00–11:15 am PDT via Zoom and are open to the public. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Elizabeth Economy is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2020, she was awarded the Richard C. Holbrooke Fellowship at the American Academy in Berlin. An expert on Chinese domestic and foreign policy, Economy is the author of several books, most recently The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State (2018). Michael A. McFaul is the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution as well as a professor of political science, director and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He also currently works as a news analyst for NBC.  His areas of expertise include international relations, Russian politics, comparative democratization, and American foreign policy.  From January 2012 to February 2014, he served as the US ambassador to the Russian Federation.  Before becoming ambassador, he served for three years as a special assistant to the president and senior director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council. Abbas Milani is a research fellow and codirector of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution. In addition, Milani is the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University. His expertise is US/Iran relations and Iranian cultural, political, and security issues. Kate Starbird is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Cyber Policy Center and Associate Professor at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) at the University of Washington (UW). Starbird’s research is situated within human-computer interaction (HCI) and the emerging field of crisis informatics—the study of the how information-communication technologies (ICTs) are used during crisis events. She is a co-founder and executive council member of the UW Center for an Informed Public. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Anna Grzymala-Busse is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Grzymala-Busse is the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor in the Department of Political Science, the director of the Europe Center, and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford. Her research focuses on religion and politics, authoritarian political parties and their successors, and the historical development of the state.

In this episode of 92Y Talks, we present another installment of excerpts from our recent State of Democracy Summit, produced in collaboration with the Knight Foundation, ProPublica, and Craig Newmark Philanthropies. Democracy in Public: Kounkuey Design Initiative's Chelina Odbert, Eric Klinenberg of NYU's Institute for Public Knowledge, and Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering and host of the New York Times podcast Together Apart. As America becomes more ideologically divided along geographic lines, what roles can public spaces, both physical and digital, play in fostering public discourse and bridging divides? Their discussion follows introductions by The Knight Foundation's Lilly Weinberg and Lynn Ross from Reimagining The Civic Commons. Technology, Misinformation, and Democracy: Debora Plunkett of Harvard's Belfer Center, ProPublica's Jeff Kao, and Jevin West from the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public in conversation with Emily Tisch Sussman, host of the Your Political Playlist podcast. They are introduced by Craig Newmark. Art and Democracy: Kai Wright, host of WNYC's The United States of Anxiety, inaugural poet Richard Blanco, and Mahogany L. Browne, author of Black Girl Magic, share their reflections on how art strengthens democracy and what role artists play in deepening our understanding of America.

The first interview is with Ryan Calo, professor at the University of Washington School of Law, founding co-director of the interdisciplinary UW Tech Policy Lab and the UW Center for an Informed Public. The interview took place shortly after the European Commission announced new proposed regulations on artificial intelligence.  The second conversation is with Kate Starbird and Renée Diresta. Kate Starbird is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) and Director of the Emerging Capacities of Mass Participation (emCOMP) Laboratory and a co-founder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, which formed in 2019 around a shared mission of resisting strategic misinformation, promoting an informed society, and strengthening democratic discourse. Renée DiResta is the Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory. She investigates the spread of malign narratives across social networks, and assists policymakers in understanding and responding to the problem. She has advised Congress, the State Department, and other academic, civic, and business organizations, and has studied disinformation and computational propaganda in the context of pseudoscience conspiracies, terrorism, and state-sponsored information warfare. The two were part of a unique collaboration to address disinformation in the 2020 US election cycle. Ahead of the vote, The Stanford Internet Observatory, the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) and the disinformation detection firm Graphika teamed up to create the Election Integrity Partnership. With the aim of defending the 2020 election against voting-related mis- and disinformation, the partnership sought to bridge the gap between government and civil society, and strengthen platform standards for combating election-related misinformation.

Episode Topic: A Guide for Handling Mis- and DisinformationFew contemporary problems can be addressed by reference to a single discipline. Misinformation — a critical issue of our time — is no different. Join us for a conversation between Center for an Informed Public co-founder Ryan Calo, AI for the People founder and CEO Mutale Nkonde, Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center Director Mark McKenna, and Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab Director Elizabeth Renieris on the importance of interdisciplinary teams to understanding and resisting misinformation.Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: go.nd.edu/f79c79.This podcast is a part of the TEC Talks ThinkND Series titled "Misinformation and Disinformation".

"There's this sort of co-creation of disinformation" about the 2020 election, resulting in a "really powerful false narrative of voter fraud that's going to be very hard to correct," Kate Starbird says. Starbird, an associate professor at the University of Washington and a co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public, calls this "participatory disinformation" and says propaganda is most effective "when it's coming from people you trust." Brian Stelter also asks about Starbird's work studying "crisis informatics" and online rumors. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Lynda Lopez talks with Jevin West, a professor and director of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, about widespread disinformation surrounding the election on social media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conspiracy theories about the election, coronavirus and social justice movements have flown across social media in the past few months. But when you see someone you love sharing information that is false, how can you approach them? Rachel Moran, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public, says you have to start from a place of care and respect. Moran joins us to debrief major conspiracy theories that impacted this election, and share tips for communicating with your loved ones who believe in them.

In this episode we chat to Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West authors of Calling Bullshit: The Art of Scepticism in Data-Driven World. Carl Bergstrom is a theoretical and evolutionary biologist and Professor of Biology at the University of Washington. Jevin West is an Associate Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, he also co-founded the DataLab and directs the Center for an Informed Public. Show notes: @CT_Bergstrom @jevinwest / jevinwest.org Calling Bullshit (Allen Lane - 2020) Calling Bullshit Course @lawrenceyolland / @gemmamilne / @radicalscipod

James & Morgan talk to Prof. Emma Spiro - co-director of the Social Media Lab and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public - about online rumors, “fake news” & electoral integrity.

James talks to Prof. Jevin West, Director Center for an Informed Public at UW & Morgan Wack of Election Integrity Partnership about social media and misinformation.

Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news abound, and it's increasingly difficult to know what's true and who to believe. What we could all use is a field guide and, thankfully, my next guest has provided us with one. He is Jevin West, Director of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, and Co-author of Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World.

“Flattening the Infodemic Curve,” features a conversation with Jevin West, associate professor in the Information School at the University of Washington and director of the Center for an Informed Public, regarding misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week, we revisit our conversation with the head of University of Washington's new Center for an Informed Public, Jevin West, who's best known for his course, “Calling Bullsh*t,” a class that teaches students how to, among other things, discern and dispatch with disinformation. West says that in many instances, there's a moral imperative for calling out BS when you see it. Links: Jevin West's TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZeMRy_PTmA Calling Bullsh*t course videos: https://callingbullshit.org/videos.html Calling Bullsh*t syllabus: https://callingbullshit.org/syllabus.html See if you can tell which face is real, and which is a computer amalgam: http://www.whichfaceisreal.com

The University of Washington recently received a $5 million grant to launch the Center for an Informed Public, a multi-disciplinary endeavor at the University of Washington aimed at strengthening our democracy by addressing the many threats posed by the propagation of disinformation, not just online, but also by governments foreign and domestic. We talk with the center's inaugural director, Jevin West, who's best known for his course entitled “Calling Bullshit,” which teaches students how to discern and dispatch with disinformation. Then, in the first of our reports from Indivisible's very first National Campaigns Network in DC, we talk with a leader from Indivisible Kentucky about the race to unseat Mitch McConnell, and how Indivisibles here in Washington can best get involved in the fight. Links: Jevin West's TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZeMRy_PTmA The complete 2017 Calling Bullsh*t course videos: https://callingbullshit.org/videos.html Calling Bullsh*t syllabus: https://callingbullshit.org/syllabus.html See if you can tell which face is real, and which is a computer amalgam: http://www.whichfaceisreal.com Contact Indivisible Kentucky to help #DitchMitch: https://www.facebook.com/indivisibleky/

Kate Starbird from the UW School for an Informed Public, on disinformation//Paging Dr Cohen -- artificial sweeteners//Dave Ross on red flag laws//Dose of kindness -- Omar Villafranca's feature on two charitable baking brothers//Danny O'Neil on the weird hydro races/ the Mariners' ugly weekend//Hanna Scott on changes to the WA primary//Jill Schlesinger on the trade war/ lowering interest rates