How To Survive The Age Of Misinformation

"We are joined by Dr. David Helfand, an esteemed professor of astronomy at Columbia University and author of A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age.

 
"Dr. Helfand shares practical tools to help listeners sharpen their critical thinking skills, question the narratives they encounter, and distinguish between fact and fiction in today’s hyperconnected world."

Click here for the podcast.

Economic Myths Debunked

Click on the link below for the 10 biggest myths about the economy presented by Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor for Bill Clinton:

https://youtu.be/HZ3j4hHMO5E

Science Mis/Disinformation Is A Major Problem

 National Academies releases report on science misinformation

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has posted a 394-page consensus study report that contains 13 main recommendations about interventions, policies, and future research. [Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, The National Academies Press, 2024] Highlights of the report are provided in a four-page document
 that includes these points:

• Misinformation about science is information that asserts or implies claims inconsistent with the weight of accepted scientific evidence at the time (reflecting both quality and quantity of evidence). Which claims are determined to be misinformation about science can evolve over time as new evidence accumulates and scientific knowledge regarding those claims advances.
• Misinformation has greater potential for influence when it originates from authoritative sources, is amplified by powerful actors, reaches large audiences, is targeted to specific populations, or is produced in a deliberate, customized, and organized fashion.
• There is a critical need for continuous monitoring of the current information ecosystem to track and document the origins, spread, and impact of misinformation about science across different platforms and communication spheres.
• It has become increasingly common for journalists outside the science beat to be assigned science stories. Insufficient scientific expertise and/or training may make it more challenging for journalists to correctly interpret research and properly contextualize the findings in their reporting.
• Some individuals and organizations have spread misinformation about science by feigning scientific expertise, thereby co-opting the relatively high trust in science.
• While some features of social media platforms contribute to the production and spread of misinformation, there are opportunities to leverage these platforms to proactively increase the supply of high-quality science information. For example, working closely with nonprofit, non-partisan professional science societies and organizations, these platforms could prioritize and foreground evidence-based science information that is understandable to different audiences.
• Misinformation about science can cause harm at individual, community, and societal levels. If someone is exposed to misinformation about science and develops misbeliefs, it may influence their ability to make informed decisions for themselves or their community, such as important choices about their personal health or how their community responds to a natural disaster.
• Providing warnings about common manipulative techniques and false narratives, providing corrective information (especially when accompanied by explanatory content), and encouraging evaluative thinking (e.g., lateral reading, accuracy nudges, friction) are effective solutions to specifically prevent belief in misinformation about science and reduce the sharing of misinformation about science by individuals, although the durability of these interventions is a common challenge.
• The impacts of misinformation and potential interventions beyond the individual level (i.e., institutional and societal levels) are understudied.

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Stephen Barrett, M.D.

Consumer Advocate

7 Birchtree Circle

Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Telephone: (919) 533-6009 

Are You Blaming The Democrats? NO, Blame The Attack By Disinformation, And - - -

"Mehdi Hasan torched MAGA talking points and defended the Biden administration's economic record before offering a chilling warning of the future."

Click on this link for a defense of the Harris election efforts and a refutation of those who are not looking at the big picture: MAGA used disinformation from US and foreign sources to snow the majority of voters. Just how sad is that? The cure is critical/science-based thinking, beginning at an early age:

To Fight Health Disinformation, Focus On Low Expertise

"Disinformation is false information spread intentionally, and it is particularly harmful for public health. We conducted three preregistered experiments (N = 1,568) investigating how to discredit dubious health sources and disinformation attributed to them. Experiments 1 and 2 used cancer information and recruited representative U.S. samples. Participants read a vignette about a seemingly reputable source and rated their credibility. Participants were randomly assigned to a control condition or interventions that (a) corrected the source’s disinformation, (b) highlighted the source’s low expertise, or (c) corrected disinformation and highlighted low expertise (Experiment 2). Next, participants rated their belief in the source’s disinformation claims and rerated their credibility. We found that highlighting low expertise was equivalent to (or more effective than) other interventions for reducing belief in disinformation. Highlighting low expertise was also more effective than correcting disinformation for reducing source credibility, although combining it with correcting disinformation outperformed low expertise alone (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 extended this paradigm to vaccine information in vaccinated and unvaccinated subgroups. A conflict-of-interest intervention and 1-week retention interval were also added. Highlighting low expertise was the most effective intervention in both vaccinated and unvaccinated participants for reducing belief in disinformation and source credibility. It was also the only condition where belief change was sustained over 1 week, but only in the vaccinated subgroup. In sum, *highlighting a source’s lack of expertise is a promising option for fact-checkers and health practitioners to reduce belief in disinformation and perceived credibility."

https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2025-19881-005.html

*The US Republican Party is a major source of disinformation on MANY topics. (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/11/trump-disinformation-immigrants-storm-00183378)

Attacks On Education: The Base Of Dictatorships

"With democracy under threat around the world, author Jason Stanley warns that the fundamental danger lies closer to home: in the schools. In his latest book, the American philosopher argues that attacks on education empower authoritarian regimes by reshaping our understanding of the past. Stanley joins the show to discuss."

Click on the link below for the history of dictatorships in recent decades:

Russia, Nazi Germany, MAGA: The Dangers of Weaponizing History and Education

Republicans: "Kissing The Ring" Gone Amok

Kissing the Ring: To make a gesture of deference, fealty, or genuflection to a person of power or authority. (link)

- - - - - - - - -

"MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the disastrous hearing by the Republicans today where they called Dr. Anthony Fauci to try and  read lies but Fauci and the Dems went on the offense."

If you are STILL supporting the Republicans after all they have done or failed to do, I challenge you to watch this 20-minute video with an open mind. Their actions and words during Dr. Fauci's "show hearing" today are an excellent summary of the anti-science, dangerous, and general poor character of that once-respectable US political party:

GOP Gets RUDE AWAKENING

It's Not "MIS"information, it's "DIS"information From Conservatives

"Misinformation is spreading on social media as some fight to stop what they call censorship. The Supreme Court is now grappling with how the First Amendment applies to the online world."

Misinformation: wrong information by mistake.

Disinformation: wrong information by design.

Click on the link below for a 15-minute "60-Minutes" segment parsing out the difference and exposing the dishonesty of Republicans/conservatives/MAGAs:

The Right to be Wrong 

Deep Fakes & AI: Destroying Truth And The USA

"AI-generated deepfakes, entirely fabricated audio and video of recognizable people, are here. They have been on the horizon for years but they have finally arrived during the biggest global election year in history which may prove to be a make-or-break year for democracy itself as we struggle to separate fact from fiction and autocracy is on the rise around the world."

Click on the link below for a problem that society MUST address YESTERDAY!!

Deep-Fakery and Deep Consequences for Democracy

Disinformation: Destroying Truth And The USA

"Barb McQuade is the former US Attorney from Michigan, and current University of Michigan Law School professor, NBC legal analyst, and CAFE contributor. She joins Preet to discuss her new book, Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America, and how false information has become a serious threat to national security."

Click on the link below for a problem that society MUST address YESTERDAY!!

Trump & the Age of Disinformation

The Dangers Of Lack Of Scientific Knowledge

The human brain is finite and subject to many biases. If one rejects or hasn't been exposed to science and science-based thinking, one is open to negative thoughts and actions. Following are two recent articles that are examples of this relationship:

"Public attitudes that are in opposition to scientific consensus can be disastrous and include rejection of vaccines and opposition to climate change mitigation policies. Five studies examine the interrelationships between opposition to expert consensus on controversial scientific issues, how much people actually know about these issues, and how much they think they know. Across seven critical issues that enjoy substantial scientific consensus, as well as attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and mitigation measures like mask-wearing and social distancing, results indicate that those with the highest levels of opposition have the lowest levels of objective knowledge but the highest levels of subjective knowledge. Implications for scientists, policymakers, and science communicators are discussed."  (link)

"In many of these cases, it is specifically scientific knowledge that is being questioned by conspiracy theorists. While scientists question scientific knowledge all the time, their standards for proof are obviously much higher. When internet celebrities hear that their pet theory has been considered and dismissed by the prevailing researchers, the conspiracist celebrity has to position their beliefs as being under attack by the establishment. This ends up providing the celebrity and their followers with cohesion and an enemy to rally around. It also gives them a sense of purpose, meaning, and identity. " (link)

An Evidence-Based Look At Fake News

"Does fake news spread better than true news? Do bots spread fake news? What can we do against fake news? Does social media increase political polarization? Is it true that we all live in political echo chambers? In this video, we look at what scientific studies have found and what we can learn from that."

Click on the link below for the scientific details "Without The Gobbledygook:"

Fake News, Echo Chambers & Polarization: How Bad Is Social Media?

Disinformation Is A Pandemic

"Today we take a look at the dynamics of mis- and disinformation as well as the history of those, primarily Russia, who are actively using it as a weapon of information warfare against the US, The West, and democracies around the world."

Click on the link below for a podcast that not only focuses on Russia but includes what the USA is experiencing with the Republicans/conservatives. Be sure to listen to the end, which includes some great insight from listeners responding to prior episodes:

The Disinformation War We Are Not Fighting