The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 19, 2025 · 1H 10M

The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers

from Volts · host David Roberts

The problem of misinformation in the current age, argues political scientist Samuel Bagg, is not that reliably truth-producing institutions and practices don’t exist, but that people have ceased to trust them. Changing that requires something deeper than factchecking or media literacy. It’s a matter of social identity, and solving it will mean reconfiguring the social identity landscape. I talk with Bagg about that daunting conclusion and its implications for democracy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribe

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The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers

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This episode was published on December 19, 2025.

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The problem of misinformation in the current age, argues political scientist Samuel Bagg, is not that reliably truth-producing institutions and practices don’t exist, but that people have ceased to trust them. Changing that requires something deeper...

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