Misinfo Weekly

The Sound of Freedom and Summer at the Movies with QAnon

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:58:25 GMT

In this episode, we talk about the surprise hit film, The Sound of Freedom. We look at expert takes on the film's presentation of child trafficking, and we also discuss some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the distribution of the movie.

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Twitter's Chief Misinformation Officer: Our final episode of the Twilogy

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:17:00 GMT

After some time has passed, we discuss just how much the Twitter platform has changed, and we look forward to how the spread of misinformation in 2024 on Twitter could be very different from what we have seen previously. We cover persons on the platform, moderation policies, and how users are likely to encounter misinformation.

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Twitter is Burning: Straining to Validate the Big Lie and Implications for Future Misinformation Events

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 18:41:15 GMT

Misinformation and issues of content moderation go hand in hand. And there are some lessons to be learned from the current Twitter debacle. We go over some key changes in the platform, and we review some of the ways that Twitter may invite future misinformation. We also review some data about activity on other alt-tech platforms to get a sense of what Twitter and its CEO may represent to other communities online. Finally, we explore some parallels in the Twitter acquisition and the 45th Presidency.

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The New Twitter under Elon Musk

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 01:35:06 GMT

In this episode, we talk about some early trends and analyses of Twitter under Elon Musk, and we pay particular attention to trends in content moderation, users, and how Twitter stacks up to other platforms during election season. We also think about the cyclical aspects of some social media use.

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After the 2022 Midterm: Day-of Misinformation in AZ, the Role of Surrogates, and the Softening the Ground for 2024

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 23:25:43 GMT

In this brief SNAP episode we discuss the role of mis/disinformation in the 2022 US Midterm elections. While many election deniers were not successful in their bids for election, that did not stop misinformation from playing a prominent role leading up to and on the day of the election in the US. We briefly discuss our different experiences voting at the polls in Arizona, the role of surrogates in saying testing content and saying what candidates cannot, and how the ground had been softened for more misinformation in the next election.

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2000 Mules: The Election Conspiracy That Won't Go Away

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 20:27:19 GMT

We talk about the resurgence of an election conspiracy film leading up to the 2022 mid-term elections, and we also discuss the changing landscape of misinformation surrounding the election in Arizona and nationwide. Shawn introduces the term "disinfomentary," and we pitch the idea of "Smokey the Election Integrity Bear."

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Parler and January 6th: One Year Later

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 20:00:07 GMT

In this episode, we discuss the impact of the alternative social media platform, Parler, on the January 6th, 2021 attack on the Capitol of the United States. We go through some of the results of our recent data analysis of the archived platform materials, as well as talk about some lessons learned for content moderation and de-platforming. We reference a report for which we both served as contributing authors: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/reports/parler-and-the-road-to-the-capitol-attack/

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Rittenhouse on Facebook: How disinformation and white supremacy go together

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 15:58:20 GMT

Recorded before the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, this episode discusses the removal (or blocking?) of any mention of Kyle Rittenhouse on Facebook. Shawn takes Michael to task for confusing censorship with content moderation, and the conversation also explores the relationship between misinformation and recruitment for white supremacist organizations. Transcript can be found here.

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Plandemic 3: The School Board Edition

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 19:12:10 GMT

In this episode, we take a look at why a viral video from an Indiana school board meeting starring Dr. Dan Stock was so appealing to those opposing masking and vaccination. We discuss the method of argumentation as well as some of the evidence he presents, returning to the theme about the limited efficacy of factual information for combating mis-and dis- information. While Dr. Stock presents himself as a family medicine doctor, he did his residency in Ophthalmology and is not board-certified. So not as to spread misinformation, we do not link directly to any content discussed. Transcript can be found here

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Vaccine Misinformation From the Perspective of a Family Medicine Physician

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:18:49 GMT

In this episode, we discuss COVID-19 vaccine misinformation with Dr. Margarette Shegog, a family medicine physician in Northern California. We walk through the types of interactions she has with her patients and how she approaches discussions of COVID-19 risk vs the risk of COVID-19 protection measures such as vaccines, masking, and social distancing. We also discuss the relationship between current news headlines and the common questions/concerns patients express during medical appointments and what advice she has for patients when the science around COVID-19 is still in development. We end by discussing major medical misinformation spreaders such as Dr. Oz, Oprah, Fox News, etc. Full transcript can be found at https://lib.asu.edu/data/learning

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Vaccine Misinformation and Our Pets with Dr. Bradley

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:18:30 GMT

In this episode we discuss the common misinformation surrounding the vaccination of our pets with veterinarian Dr. Kelsey Bradley. We discuss how some of these concerns are similar to misinformation surrounding human vaccines including the dangers/toxicity of vaccine ingredients, vaccination frequency, role of "big pharma" in persuading veterinarians to recommend vaccinations, etc. Dr. Bradley walks us through how she discusses the risks and benefits of vaccinations with pet owners. Full transcript can be found at https://lib.asu.edu/data/learning

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Vaccine Misinformation is Nothing New - Vaccine Conspiracy Theories with Anna Muldoon

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:18:10 GMT

In this episode we bring a historical perspective to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. We discuss conspiracy theories, smallpox inoculations, Victorian misinformation, and their relationship to present-day COVID-19 vaccinations with Anna Muldoon. Anna is an author of a recent book on COVID-19 conspiracy theories and a researcher at ASU. We also discuss the history of vaccine development from inoculations for smallpox to current day COVID-19 vaccines and how that creast a ripe environment for misinformation circulating today around COVID-19. Full transcript can be found at https://lib.asu.edu/data/learning

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Vaccine Misinformation: Series Introduction

Mon, 24 May 2021 19:07:44 GMT

In the first episode of our vaccine misinformation miniseries, we lay out some of the key concepts and themes that come up when we study misinformation about vaccines. These themes continue throughout our subsequent interview series on vaccine hesitancy. Full transcript can be found at https://lib.asu.edu/data/learning

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Political Psychology with Logan Clark

Thu, 06 May 2021 21:09:25 GMT

We interview Logan Clarke from the Global Security Initiative at Arizona State University. In the conversation, Logan goes through some concepts from political psychology that can help make sense of how policy conversations around misinformation and technology platforms often seem to flounder in polarized conflict. The full episode transcript can be found at https://lib.asu.edu/data/learning

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Did Windmills Mess with Texas? Misinformation about the Power Grid in Texas

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:30:59 GMT

In February 2021, a powerful winter storm disrupted the power grid in Texas. Thousands lost power and the state was thrown into a state of emergency. In this episode, we explore some of the misinformation that circulated during and after the power outage, the use of misinformation to frame blame and shape policy changes due to the failure, and discuss how misinformation about infrastructure can inflict a particularly durable kind of damage on a state or country.

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Web archives and the Wayback Machine: a key tool for understanding and even propagating misinformation

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 20:59:21 GMT

Content on the internet is always changing in quiet and subtle ways. Without the ability to track how the internet has changed, it's difficult to get a read on trends in misinformation. In this episode, we interview Dr. Jessica Ogden about the web archiving, and we get her take on important methods and uses for web archives. We discuss how web archives are created by both memory institutions such as libraries as well as hacker collectives like ArchiveTeam. We also discuss the race to archive platforms such as Parler and NSFW Tumblr as they shut down. Dr. Ogden is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol, an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow, and a Fellow at the Bristol Digital Futures Institute.

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President Trump and Parler Have Been Deplatformed: what are the consequences of giving users the boot?

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 17:07:50 GMT

We talk about the January 6 insurrection, the disappearance of Parler, as well as the responses of platforms to the misinformation that drove it. We talk through the consequences of kicking users off of platforms, as well as discuss the differences between archiving and fact-checking. Episode transcript can be found in the Episode Link.

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Vulnerability (Happy Holidays)

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 22:21:06 GMT

We flip things around, and instead of talking about tactics and techniques of misinformation (where we think about creators and senders of content), we talk through the different kinds of vulnerabilities we all face as consumers of that content. We think through individual, collective, and contextual factors that will help you consider your own orientation to the potentially destructive content you encounter.

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Post-Election: Fox Under Fire and The Migration to Parler

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 21:45:23 GMT

We look at some of the disinformation swirling around the election outcome, and we look at some Twitter trends that indicate a real divide between emerging and conventional news sources for conservatives. We also discuss the viability of the "filter bubble" thesis, and evaluate some claims of mass migration to Parler.

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Wildfire Disinformation Narratives with Dr. Steve Corman

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 22:09:07 GMT

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Steve Corman, who directs the Center for Strategic Communication at Arizona State University. We go through some published journalism, as well as Facebook and Twitter data, to get to the bottom of the rumors surrounding the west coast wildfires of 2020. We try to answer the question, "does disinformation activity surrounding these fires resemble previous Russian efforts at sowing division and confusion in the US and abroad?"

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Election 2020 Dis/Misinformation Preview

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:28:49 GMT

It's probably foolish to make any predictions at all about the 2020 US election, but armed with our best mis/disinformation metaphors, we give it a try. We inventory all the misinfo narratives circulating before November 3, and we also talk about practical steps and things to look out for when thinking through how to best deal with inevitable arrival of incomplete information, disinformation, or misinformation in the coming weeks.

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Living with the News: An Interview with Dr. Kristy Roschke

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 14:54:37 GMT

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Kristy Roschke, Managing Director of the News Co/Lab at the Walter Cronkite School for Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. As a media scholar and educator, she offers some perspective on the role of news in our everyday lives, and how dramatically our practices around making and reading news have changed. Transcript can be found in the episode link.

Information and details for her online course can be found at https://cronkite.asu.edu/news-and-events/news/news-colab-america-amplified-launch-free-online-media-literacy-course

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The Miserable Case of @sciencing_bi

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 02:06:14 GMT

In this episode, we talk about how a former professor and science equity activist used a sockpuppet Twitter account to gain access and prestige when interacting with academics and professionals online. Key to her strategy was to invent and then impersonate a fictional Hopi scientist working at Arizona State University. Things got even stranger when she killed her fictional character and blamed it on a poor national and organizational response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This story by Asher Elbein, which includes an interview with Dr. Marisa Duarte, makes some excellent points that merit your attention before tuning in: https://gen.medium.com/the-death-of-a-fake-twitter-personality-reveals-the-systemic-rot-of-academia-19e9c6c9aa9a

This episode was recorded August 7, 2020 at 2:50pm MST.

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Health Disinformation: Plandemic and America's Frontline Doctors

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 02:05:37 GMT

We discuss health disinformation via the context of two films that have a very specific purpose and were engineered to deceive the audience. The first one is called Plandemic and the second one is called America's Frontline Doctors. The first one, Plandemic, is much more of a documentary style. The second, America's Frontline Doctors, comes in the form of a live stream event with doctors in white coats standing on the steps of the US Supreme Court. We discuss how both films use strong visual imagery to evoke emotional reactions and recirculate/re-purpose misinformation from anti-vax communities.

This episode was recorded on July 31, 2020 at 3:47pm MST.

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asu_covid.parties - the fake resistance

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 00:13:51 GMT

What started as a strange Instagram account inviting ASU students to "COVID parties" and resistance to ASU COVID policies, ended up looking an awful lot like a networked disinformation operation. We talk about the strategy, medium, and consequences.

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The Wayfair Conspiracy - how a furniture website became the epicenter of a misinformation event about child trafficking

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 19:41:46 GMT

We discuss the emergence and spread of the QAnon conspiracy theory that online furniture store Wayfair is a front for a child trafficking ring. We also take a look at how misinformation events can be deeply participatory. Transcript can be found in the episode link.

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Misinfo, Bots, and Trolls - Some Key Concepts for Misinformation

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 20:00:12 GMT

We scratch the surface on some basic terms and concepts that can be helpful for understanding misinformation events. Full transcript is available in the episode link.

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Parler and QAnon - is this the new conservative Twitter?

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 18:59:58 GMT

We take a look at the social media platform, Parler, and think through the roles that it plays because of its proximity to high-profile, conservative political figures. We talk about Parler as a way that QAnon is getting more mainstreamed, and it also means we got Parler accounts! Recorded July 31, 2020. A transcript of the podcast is available via the episode link..

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The Problem with COVID-19 Dashboards

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:27:55 GMT

Visualizing data for a pandemic during a pandemic is hard work, but there are some aspects of COVID-19 charts and graphs that invite misinformation or inadvertently give room for conspiracies to have more explanatory value. Recorded June 2020

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Who Cancelled Paw Patrol? No One Did!

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:26:48 GMT

We investigate the origins of the misinformation about the cancellation of the popular children's show, Paw Patrol. We follow the trail from a handful of tweets all the way to news reports claiming that the show has perished at the hands of "Cancel Culture."

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Mask Rumors

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:23:08 GMT

In this episode, we look through some of the rumors surrounding mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk through their origins and reasons for popularity. Recorded May 2020

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Information Literacy Isn't So Simple

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:22:19 GMT

We talk about strategies for fighting "fake news," and why they are becoming more and more ineffective

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