How to Debunk Misinformation about COVID, Vaccines and Masks

I have spent much of my career studying ways to blunt the effects of disinformation and help the public make sense of the complexities of politics and science. When my colleagues and I probed the relation between the consumption of misinformation and the embrace, or dismissal, of protective behaviors that […] Read more »

Donald Trump and the Lie

The legitimacy of democratically elected governments rests in part on widespread acceptance of the outcome of elections, especially among those who lost. This “losers’ consent” allows the winners to govern and, when the incumbent is the losing party, it allows for a peaceful transition of power. What happens in a […] Read more »

‘We want to be educated, not indoctrinated,’ say Trump voters wary of covid shots

Be honest that scientists don’t have all the answers. Tout the number of people who got the vaccines in trials. And don’t show pro-vaccine ads with politicians — not even ones with Donald Trump. That’s what a focus group of vaccine-hesitant Trump voters insisted to politicians and pollsters this weekend, […] Read more »

YouTube still hosts extremist videos. Here’s who watches them.

YouTube is overshadowed by Facebook and Twitter in the debate over the harms of social media, but the site has massive reach — 3 in 4 Americans report using it. This growth has been driven by YouTube’s use of algorithms to recommend more videos to watch, a feature that critics […] Read more »

How Americans Navigated the News in 2020: A Tumultuous Year in Review

Americans are divided – that much is obvious after a contentious presidential election and transition, and in the midst of a politicized pandemic that has prompted a wide range of reactions. But in addition to the familiar fault line of political partisanship, a look back at Pew Research Center’s American […] Read more »

New Survey Shows 3 In 5 White Evangelicals Say Joe Biden Wasn’t Legitimately Elected

Christian nationalism has effectively spread so much disinformation that three in five white evangelicals say Biden was not legitimately elected, according to the American Enterprise Institute. Morning Edition, NPR News Read more »