misinformation
Across the country, a big backlash to new renewables is mounting
BUCYRUS, Ohio — In four terms as a county elected official in northern Ohio, it was the most contentious issue Doug Weisenauer had ever seen. The state legislature had newly empowered county governments to drastically restrict wind and solar power development, a process formerly overseen by the Ohio Power Siting Board, and the meetings of […]
Washington medical board charges Dr. Ryan Cole with COVID-19 related violations
Dr. Ryan Cole of Idaho has until Jan. 30 to respond to charges from the Washington Medical Commission that he violated standards related to COVID-19 and patient care. Cole, a pathologist whose specialty does not involve direct patient-care experience, has maintained that he didn’t violate any standards while treating patients for COVID-19 via telehealth. The […]
Twitter’s decision to stop enforcing COVID-19 misinformation policy is irresponsible, dangerous
Twitter recently made the irresponsible decision to stop enforcing its policy against COVID-19 misinformation. This decision is especially disappointing in light of Twitter’s formerly laudable efforts to protect its users from health misinformation. In a 2021 report, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy cited Twitter as an example of a social media platform that had made […]
The story behind why Louisiana voted against a ban on slavery
Last week, Louisiana voters struck down an amendment to its constitution that would have prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude. The four other states where slavery was on the ballot – Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont – approved similar referenda. . Louisiana was put in the national spotlight for rejecting the change. Trevor Noah did an […]
A quarter of local election officials received violent threats after 2020 election, survey finds
One in four local election officials and nearly two-thirds of those in large cities received violent threats after the 2020 election, and nearly one in five plan to leave their jobs before the next presidential election, according to a survey released Wednesday. The survey was the fourth since 2018 from the Elections and Voting Information […]
Experts grade readiness of four big social media platforms to handle election misinformation
The 2016 U.S. election was a wake-up call about the dangers of political misinformation on social media. With two more election cycles rife with misinformation under their belts, social media companies have experience identifying and countering misinformation. However, the nature of the threat misinformation poses to society continues to shift in form and targets. The […]
Trump allies have interviewed nearly 200 election officials to probe for weaknesses
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Two of Donald Trump’s most prominent allies in his fight to overturn the 2020 election are leading a coordinated, multi-state effort to probe local election officials in battlegrounds such as Michigan, Arizona, and Texas ahead of the […]
Americans think they know a lot about politics; too often they’re wrong
Ian Anson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County As statewide primaries continue through the summer, many Americans are beginning to think about which candidates they will support in the 2022 general election. This decision-making process is fraught with difficulties, especially for inexperienced voters. Voters must navigate angry, emotion-laden conversations about politics when trying to sort out […]