Ep 33 How misinformation is dumbing down America and threatening democracy.

Send us Fan MailSadly, misinformation is alive and well in America today and it is posing a huge threat to our democracy. How did we get here? Why are we so gullible? The Chino Y Chicano take up those questions and more with Kolina Koltai, a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Center for an Informed Public (CIP) at the University of Washington. Kolina studies how groups’ use of sociotechnical systems affects decision making and information behavior. She researches information-seeking behaviors, trust assessment of information (and misinformation), and decision making with a focus on when people dissent from the scientific mainstream (e.g., vaccine dissent). She specifically focuses on how social networking sites and digital communities interact with information behavior practices. Kolina received her Ph.D. in Information Studies from the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin.  Read: https://southseattleemerald.org/voices/2025/07/22/masked-men-are-detaining-people-when-will-washingtons-leaders-protect-usRead: https://nieman.harvard.edu/mark-trahant-wins-the-2025-i-f-stone-medal-for-journalistic-independence/Read: https://www.24thstreet.org/blog/2025/1/17/letting-goRead:https://www.amazon.com/Harbingers-January-Charlottesville-American-Democracy/dp/1586424017Read: https://www.mapresearch.org/2024-dei-report "Dismantling DEI: A Coordinated Attack on American Values"https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/01/07/these-companies-have-rolled-back-dei-policies-mcdonalds-is-latest-to-abandon-diversity-standards/https://www.chronicle.com/package/the-assault-on-dei  Chronicle of Higher Education https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supreme/bios/?fa=scbios.display_file&fileID=gonzalezRead: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituaries/chinatown-international-district-activist-matt-chan-dead-at-71/Hear Rick Shenkman on the BBC Radio Program Sideways:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xdg0Read: https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-stuck-with-nixon-heres-why-science-said-i-did-itRead: https://www.washcog.org/in-the-news/your-right-to-knowRead: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/the-legislatures-sunshine-committee-has-fallen-into-darkness/Read: https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2024/feb/2...