Unchecked: The architecture of disinformation
Misinformation and disinformation thrive in today’s technology landscape, and arguably present the greatest threat to modern society. Information architecture – the practice of designing and managing digital spaces – has an opportunity to intervene. This podcast looks at disinformation from an information architecture perspective, and considers ways to expand the practice of IA to address this new reality. ••• What is Information Architecture? Information architecture is the practice of designing virtual structures – the shape and form of online spaces and digital products. When you click on a navigation menu or follow the steps in a process, you're experiencing the information architecture of a web site or di...
Episode 12: Disinformation and community moderation, with Karen McGrane
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Synopsis
Karen McGrane joins Rachel and Dan to explain Reddit from the perspective of a moderator. Reddit is the largest message board on the internet, with thousands of “sub-Reddits” – individual communities based on a topic. Karen moderates the community dedicated to UX Design, which gets hundreds of new posts every week. Rachel and Dan then explore two Lenses: Swarm and Curation Escape.
Stories
"About this Account" on X/Twitter
Renee Diresta’s SubstackBig Tobacco
Tobacco industry playbook (Wikipedia)Disinformation playbook...Episode 11: Disinformation and abortion, with Dr. Ushma Upadhyay
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SYNOPSIS
Speaking to Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, Rachel and Dan dig into misinformation about abortion – who gets them, why they get them, and how they get them. You may be surprised by some of the answers. Dr. Upadhyay describes her research around abortion safety and abortion via telehealth. Rachel proposes the lens “Retraction” and Dan leans on an old favorite, “Personas”.
STORIES OF DISINFORMATION
Y2K hype
The end of the world in TimeY2K Panic in Popular MechanicsFraud in Minnesota: A misinformation perfect st...
Episode 10: Disinformation and nutrition, with Dr. Amelia Finaret
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Synopsis
For the 10th episode of Unchecked, Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Amelia B. Finaret, food economist and clinical dietitian about the state of nutrition misinformation. With the release of the latest dietary guidelines – some of which are not founded on sound nutrition science – we take a look at both the classic and newer myths around food. Dan uses the discussion to arrive at the lens of Making Hot Dogs and Rachel applies Diet Culture to our work as UX designers.
Stories
Robert Caro...
Episode 9: Disinformation and climate change, with Zanagee Artis
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SYNOPSIS
Zanagee Artis, a climate advocate and educator with Natural Resources Defense Council, joins Rachel and Dan to talk about disinformation in arctic and coastal drilling. Zanagee describes the challenges of addressing disinformation when the time horizons of climate research spans decades. Inspired by this discussion, Rachel coins the lens of Time Feel. Dan, impressed by efforts to close the physical distance between policymakers and drilling in the arctic, suggests the lens of Distance.
STORIES OF DISINFORMATION
White House destruction photo<...
Episode 8: Disinformation and gun violence, with Nick Suplina
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CONTENT WARNING
This episode of Unchecked deals with the sensitive topic of gun violence.
SYNOPSIS
Nick Suplina, Senior VP for Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety joins Rachel and Dan to talk about the long-standing and persistent disinformation campaign by the gun lobby. Nick highlights the main messages and techniques in use, and we explore the challenges of celebrating prevention. Rachel describes the Lens of Despair and Dan digs into the Lens of Status Quo.
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Episode 7: Disinformation and climate culture, with Brandon Schauer
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SYNOPSIS
Brandon Schauer from Rare, a conservation nonprofit, talks to Rachel and Dan about ways to modify behavior to help save the planet. Climate change and its solutions are often too big for an individual person to connect with, so Brandon has developed strategies to meet people where they are. These strategies short-circuit climate misinformation altogether.
STORIES
Banana propaganda
Annalee Newitz’s book Stories Are Weapons TheEpisode 6: Disinformation and its consequences, with Prof. Claire Wardle
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SYNOPSIS
Dr. Claire Wardle is a disinformation expert and communications professor at Cornell University. She joins Rachel and Dan to talk about the history of disinformation study, how new technology introduces new challenges, and about how the information ecosystem might change in the future. She offers insights into the psychology of disinformation. From the conversation, Rachel elaborates on the lens of Friction, and Dan talks about a lens he can only call “Middle of the night.”
STORIES OF DISINFORMATION
The Propaganda of Hearst and P...
Episode 5: Disinformation and cognitive bias, with David Dylan Thomas
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SYNOPSIS
David Dylan Thomas joins Rachel and Dan to talk about cognitive biases. David explains the fundamental attribution error, the framing effect, and the confirmation bias. All of these contribute to a skewed perception in which a person’s misconceptions about the world can be reinforced or exploited. The conversation leads Rachel to suggest the lens of manipulation and Dan the lens of belonging.
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STORIES OF DISINFORMATION
Mary Toft
Dan quotes from Mary Toft; or the Rabbit Queen, by Dexter PalmerThe true st...Episode 4: Disinformation and federal information spaces with Dana Chisnell
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SYNOPSIS
Dana Chisnell joins Dan and Rachel to talk about information in civic tech. Dana discusses her experience with voting systems, immigration, and homeland security. New executive orders on communicating about people directly affected Dana’s job. She explains her rationale for stepping down from her executive position. Rachel coins the lens “#influencers” and Dan describes the lens “Messaging.”
STORIES OF DISINFORMATION
The AIDS crisis
Dan’s son was in a musical called Falsettos and it brought back many memories about growing up i...
Episode 3: Disinformation and vaccines with Dr. Adam Ratner
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SYNOPSIS
Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Adam Ratner, author of the new book Booster Shots, about the misinformation he encounters as a pediatric infectious disease specialist. We discuss the distinctions between vaccine hesitancy and being anti-vax, and how misinformation has an impact beyond individual healthcare. Dan uses the discussion to highlight a new “lens” called double-tagging, and Rachel is inspired to establish the lens “frenzy.”
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STORIES OF DISINFORMATION
The Fifth Column
Rachel describes how the US u...
Episode 2: Disinformation and civic tech, with Cyd Harrell
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SYNOPSIS
Dan and Rachel talk with Cyd Harrell about the challenges of providing information to citizens that is accurate and accessible, even when it needs to be official and formal. Rachel discusses the Accuracy as a lens for evaluating information ecosystems. Dan explains the lens Accountability.
EPISODE CONTENTS
Stories of Disinformation
Dan describes misinformation from the Bush administration that provided the impetus for the US invasion of Iraq
The Iraq Invasion 20 Years Later (Mother Jones)Lie...Episode 1: Disinformation and healthcare with Susannah Fox
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Stories of Disinformation
Rachel told the story of disinformation in ancient Rome: Octavian’s campaign against Mark Antony.
The Propaganda of OctavianFake news about Antony and CleopatraBBC: A brief history of fake newsA short guide to the history of fake news and disinformationDan recounted the story of how the Department of Homeland Security is manipulating search engine results… Or are they?
The Guardian: A mirage of mass deportationsGizmodo: A little bit of HTML doing a lot of workInterview with Susannah Fox<...
Pilot - Introducing Unchecked
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Introducing Unchecked, the podcast about the architecture of disinformation. Exaggerations, misinformation, and falsehoods seem to be everywhere these days. No domain, no online space, no information ecosystem is safe from this invasive species. Dan and Rachel, two professional information architects, turn their attention to this growing threat in the hopes of developing strategies and methods for building better systems.
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Topics:
Snopes teaches us the challenge of checking sourcesDisinformation in history: The role of misinformation in spreading influenza in 1918Disinformation today: LA fires and water “shortages”Defining disinformationDefining information architecture, and...
