In this episode of UnSpun, we explore the Appeal to Purity—a tricky way people exclude others from groups to manipulate thinking. We look at how this tactic works, its history, and how to defend against it with simple strategies. From political rallies to major historical events, we'll unpack the impact of this fallacy. Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Pr…

How can we be drowning in information and at the same time, badly informed? In this week's UnSpun, DrSturg breaks down the relationship of journalism and democracy. Journalism came first, and democracy wouldn't exist without it. But today, journalism is struggling and around the world, democracy is struggling right along with it. Find out how the r…

After US voters cast their ballots, some folks may try to win by acting like the election was rigged, In this episode, DrSturg goes over several ways newsmakers try to deceive, and you can check your own deception detection skills with an audio quiz. Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) / X Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substa…

How do you speak truth to power when people call you biased just for checking facts? This year features several high-stakes elections, and a new threat to the truth is AI. DrSturg lets you test yourself with AI vs. real examples and she and guest, Politifact founder Bill Adair, talk about journalism's relationship with the truth. Check out Bill Ada…

If a politician says something that's garbled or hard to understand, a journalist's go-to is to not quote, but paraphrase. But does that do a disservice when it obscures the fact that the politician is often like this? DrSturg breaks down how journalists choose to paraphrase and quote and how that might not work so well in the modern media climate.…

When a politician wins by 51% and says everyone he represents agrees with him, that's a fallacy of division. DrSturg breaks down this common thinking program. She and her guest, ProPublica's Craig Silverman, talk verification and how journalists and audiences can go about checking the information they get. Check out Craig Silverman Twitter | Linked…

Disinformation from both major political figures and social media randos has hurt relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Dr. Sturg breaks down what's happening, why and what you can do about it. Local article on what FEMA is actually doing in NC Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) / X Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Su…

Although mainstream media is suffering economically, grant and membership supported non-profit news is thriving. DrSturg and Oklahoma Watch's Ted Streuli talk about how the model lets experienced reporters uncover news in the public interest. Plus, DrSturg breaks down false choice in the WrapUp. Check out Oklahoma Watch. Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -P…

When a newsmaker is accused of wrongdoing, there can be a pattern to their response. In this week's episode, Dr. Sturg teaches you about DARVO, an acronym that can help you know when someone is trying to escape blame. Listen to 3 real world examples. Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) / X Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substa…

When it comes to political movements, students and other young people are useful allies. In this episode, Dr. Sturg and author Kyle Spencer talk about Spencer's book, Raising them Right. Plus, friend of the show Israel Balderas breaks down the law on campaigns using songs the artist wishes they wouldn't. Follow journalist Kyle Spencer Twitter - @Ky…

One thing that separates professional journalists from content creators is their code of ethics. In this episode, Dr. Sturg breaks down what you should be able to expect from someone who calls themselves a journalist. But, adhering to this code is a lot harder than it used to me, and she tells you why. We close out with a fun game where you can gue…

Radicalized extremism led to Taylor Swift having to cancel Eras Tour concerts in Austria and continues to be a threat worldwide. And some people say social media is to blame. In this week's UnSpun minisode, Dr. Sturg looks at the most recent research on how social media algorithms can bathe users in ever more extreme views. BBC article on radicaliz…

Sometimes to get to the truth, a reporter just has to start knocking on doors. In this week's UnSpun, DrSturg talks to award-winning journalist Joe Bruno about his work uncovering a voter fraud scheme in North Carolina. Plus, warm up is back with several examples of the fallacy of authority for you to try your skills. Learn more about the scheme an…

Why do people do and say the things they do? Whether it's running a red light or asking to talk to the manager, when you observe people's actions, there's a risk of misunderstanding that can make the world even more divided. Dr. Sturg breaks down the research on a common thinking error that can give you trouble in making interpersonal judgements. F…

As a tireless producer of information, including disinformation, AI poses real risks to elections going forward. As we find ourselves at a crossroad with machines that seem like they can think, Lee Rainie, director of the Imagining the Digital Future Center and Dr. Sturg talk about several AI-related issues on the horizon. Plus, Dr. Sturg talks abo…

If you are getting most of your news from evening cable shows or podcasts, you're not alone. But you're also probably not as well-informed as you think you are. In this episode, Dr. Sturg breaks down curation of news and how it affects your knowledge about what's going on. Letting other people decide what stories are important can be useful or even…

Do high-profile debates truly shift opinions or votes? On this episode, Dr. Sturg gets into the studies to see if debates produce real changes. From Kennedy-Nixon to Romney-Obama, she looks at famous debates and explores what the research says about impacts on voters. She also looks the logical flaw of hasty generalization, using debate slip-ups as…

Why did it seem like everyone in the media thought Biden's debate performance concerned democrats? And how does telling a good story get in the way of the truth? In this episode, Dr. Sturg goes over the cozy relationship between politicians and the journalists who cover and explains the narrative bias. It's a tendency to fit facts into a story, and…

UnSpun Rewind in honor of the political convention in the US this week. Are things as bad as the politicians say? Are they the only ones who can save us? Dr. Sturg breaks down the Appeal to Fear trick and guest Dr. Seth Norrholm talks about what being made afraid does to your thinking and judgment. "Nothing happened" doesn't make for much of a head…

What's a "good" parent or a "true" member of a political party? In this week'e episode, Dr. Sturg runs down the Appeal to Purity as a way of creating us vs. them. Then, she and guest Dr. Matt Taylor talk about how a substantial religious movement is trying to remake American culture in their own image, why they might support political violence arou…

If debates make you cringe, you aren't alone1 Dr. Sturg breaks down how the way televised debates are structured benefits media and benefits candidates, but generally isn't that great for the audience. Journalists can't do a good job as both a journalist and a moderator at the same time, and the financial model for news doesn't incentivize them to …

We learn as children to follow the rules, but sometimes people use the rules deceptively to avoid addressing uncomfortable topics. Dr. Sturg goes through examples of misplaced focus and talks with Ajay Parasram and Alex Khasnabish, hosts of a YouTube series called "Frequently Asked White Questions." Check out Frequently Asked White Questions Follow…

You have a lot of choices about how to spend your time, so how and why do you choose to spend it with certain media? In this episode, Dr. Sturg breaks down the things that make media appealing and shows how deceptive newsmakers can use these human tendencies against you. Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) / X Websites -Sturg…

From COVID to presidential sex scandals, newsmakers use distraction to tell the story they want and take your attention from the story you *need*. Dr. Sturg breaks down this common issues with several examples of politician deception for you to try your skills. Then, she and award-winning journalist Ben Welsh talk about data journalism. Data storie…

How does the news decide who to interview, and what do they do with people who just don't want to answer the questions? Dr. Sturg breaks it down in this week's mini-sode of UnSpun. Here's an example of a newsmaker being evasive in an interview. Send us your questions and comments at theunspunpodcast@gmail.com and don't forget to like and subscribe!…

Do attorneys plan for media coverage as a part of a trial? Do reporters covering courts do a good job, or are they missing things. Asha Rangappa and Renato Mariotti answer questions about the intersection between the courts and the media in this episode of UnSpun. Asha Rangappa and Renato Mariotti have a ton of experience in different parts of the …

They are name-calling in congressional committees and judges don't like it when witnesses roll their eyes. It's summer travel time in North America, and as we get ready to go see those relatives we really disagree with, we're re-airing an episode on getting along across difference. Dr. Sturg breaks down the research on how you can get along and may…

Headlines are a changing art, as the pressures of digital algorithms are forcing news makers to emphasize the popular over the important. In this minisode of UnSpun, Dr. Sturg explains how headlines come to be and shares the latest research on how that affects you, the audience. Tweet about NYT article with buried lede. Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Pr…

If you repeat a lie enough, people may start to believe it. This idea of the big lie has been around for a while, but the last 8 years it has been so bad that fact checkers had to create a whole new rating level for how bad the lying is. Dr. Sturg breaks down the history of the big lie and shows how surrogates and supporters help to spread it. In t…

In this minisode of UnSpun, Dr. Sturg breaks down how press conferences work and how they are used to shape the public's view of what a newsmaker is doing. Plus, a logical thinking review. Washington Post article on Chanel Rion and OANN's presence at White House Press Conferences Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) / X Websit…

Angela V. Shelton and Frances Callier, Frangela, host the very popular The Final Word podcast on the MSW Media Network. But the podcast is just one waypoint in an accomplished career in comedy and acting. The artists discuss the rewards and challenges they have faced in their careers, explain why representation benefits everyone and give the inside…

It is always fair to include both sides? Dr. Sturg breaks down the history and future of objectivity in this miniepisode of UnSpun. Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) / X Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are…

News media and news makers can do better at working to protect democracy. In this week's episode, Dr. Sturg breaks down the research on how media cover elections and gives some examples of the the appeal to nature fallacy. Then, author, professor and NBC contributor Barbara McQuade and Dr. Sturg talk about her new book and the ways that lawmakers c…

Trying a new episode format - single host minisodes! Let me know what you think! What's even worse for carrying disinformation than social media? Messaging apps! In this episode, Dr. Sturg reviews a deceptive tactic with some new clips and goes over the research on how apps like WhatsApp and Telegram make it very hard to stop Fake News from spreadi…

Google and other search engines are an essential part of digital life. There's so much information online that we need help finding what we need. But that search doesn't give you all the information or even necessarily the best information. In this week's UnSpun, Dr. Sturg runs down the research on internet search and she and Search Engine Optimiza…

In this week's UnSpun, Dr. Sturg and author Mike Caulfield discuss how to keep yourself safer from the misinformation effect by being more aware of your own relationship to the facts you seek. Plus, Dr. Sturg goes over what a reporter means when she says "on the record" and gives some examples of false authority, which is when someone is put forwar…

Someone's need to feel validated and important can affect how they view the news, politics and even their own family. In this episode, Dr. Sturg talks with psychotherapist Nick Carmody about the interplay between emotions, beliefs and actions. Plus, she talks about how features like impact and bizarreness shape the news you see. Follow Nick Carmody…

One way newsmakers to get people to agree with them is to limit their choices so they look like the reasonable one. But they may not be reasonable at all. Learn about false choice this week, and then Dr. Sturg talks with author Teri Kanefield about her upcoming graphic novel "Firehose of Falsehood." Follow Teri Kanefield Teri's book FireHose of Fal…

Every fact can matter, but you wouldn’t know it from the way some newsmakers act. It’s tempting to ignore facts that don’t support what you want to believe, but that’s a logic crime called cherry picking. Dr. Sturg goes through several examples. Then she and then she and American Oversight’s Katie Anthony talk about how FOIA and other records laws …

Do high-profile debates truly shift opinions or votes? On this episode, Dr. Sturg gets into the studies to see if debates produce real changes. From Kennedy-Nixon to Romney-Obama, she looks at famous debates and explores what the research says about impacts on voters. She also looks the logical flaw of hasty generalization, using debate slip-ups as…

It's the holidays, and that means visits with those challenging relatives and chance encounters when you travel. In this episode, Dr. Sturg reviews some ideas from communication studies about how to have productive conversations with people you disagree with. Why do grown adult politicians call other people mean names? Personal attacks are designed…

Free speech is on the menu this week as guest Israel Balderas and Dr. Sturg talk about the First Amendment and the ways newsmakers misrepresent it. The first word is Congress, and that word matters a lot in what it does and doesn't mean. Plus! Listener questions and the wild story of the time the ACLU and the New York Times defended the rights of A…

People rely on some bad cues for how to make choices, and sometimes newsmakers don't help. In this episode, learn why "we've always done it this way" can be a bad thing. Then, Dr. Sturg talks with Dr. Ben Rein, a neuroscientist and social media star who myth busts and explains science for everyone. Follow Dr. Ben Rein https://www.benrein.com https:…

What does Jan. 6 have to do with cherry picking? A lot, it turns out. Find out how. Plus Dr. Sturg tells what the research says about Thanksgiving dinner with the relatives. Can you change Aunt Gladys's mind?By Dr. Amanda Sturgill

Some...years it feels like Congress is the opposite of progress, and the government just can't get past an impasse. It happened for more than a month in 2018-2019 and it's looking like it might happen again. In this week's UnSpun, learn how politicians distract from their failings with red herrings - galling or enthralling distractions that keep yo…

"Nothing happened" doesn't make for much of a headline, and newsmakers know it. When they want to get your attention or get you to do something, sometimes they deliberately use fear. Dr. Sturg talks about how how the powerful use fear deceptively to keep their followers engaged. Then, she and Dr. Seth Norrhom, a psychiatry professor and fear resear…

What about what HE did? If there’s one thing politicians love, it’s calling an opponent a hypocrite. But two things can both be bad. In this episode of UnSpun, see how newsmakers try to distract from their own bad deeds by pointing out problems with others. Then, Dr. Sturg talks with analytics expert William Moner about how and why companies track …

What do deceptive people do when they don’t have a good argument? They make things up and act like someone else said them. In this episode of UnSpun, see how people put words in someone else’s mouth and try to debate them. Hear counter disinformation journalist Brooke Binkowski explain how people click themselves into their own conspiracy theories …

Why do grown adult politicians call other people mean names? Personal attacks are designed to make you trust the other person less, and they are deceptive. In this episode of UnSpun, learn about how those attacks work, and how a little laughter can make politics easier to take, as Dr. Sturg and Canadian comedy influencer Brittlestar talk about the …

Welcome to Unspun where Amanda Sturgill helps us spot media manipulation and spin to get to the truth. New episodes starting September 18thBy Amanda Sturgill