Covid-19 misinformation is everywhere, but it could have been much worse

Covid-19 has taken over our lives, but it hasn’t been around for very long. Scientists have been studying it in real-time as the world collectively goes through a traumatic, world-changing event. It’s killed more than half a million people—and we don’t even know exactly where it came from. Which, on […] Read more »

Research on voting by mail says it’s safe – from fraud and disease

A Pennsylvania election worker processes mailed-in ballots for the state’s primary election in May 2020. AP Photo/Matt Rourke Edie Goldenberg, University of Michigan As millions of Americans prepare to vote in November – and in many cases, primaries and state and local elections through the summer as well – lots […] Read more »

The Electoral College is surprisingly vulnerable to popular vote changes

Staff of the House of Representatives review Illinois’ Electoral College vote report in January 2017. Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Steven Heilman, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences In the 2000 U.S. presidential election, changing just 269 votes in Florida from George W. Bush to […] Read more »

Americans Support Free Speech Online but Want More Action to Curb Harmful Content

As the COVID-19 crisis continues and the debate rages on between Twitter and President Trump over online content moderation, a new report from Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation found that Americans understand the threat of misinformation to public health and democracy, and want misleading information […] Read more »