Misinfo Harms: Ray Epps Edition
One theme we've highlighted on this blog is all the ways misinformation hurts real people. (See, for example, here, here, here, and here.) This is why it's so important that we all do our part to first of all, not contribute to the problem and be careful about the information we share.
This week's example is Ray Epps, the target of a disinformation campaign that attempts to blame the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack on the FBI.
60 Minutes aired an interview with Epps Sunday night. Reporter Bill Whitaker spoke with him from an undisclosed location because Epps in currently in hiding due to all the death threats he has received, some of which were shown in the interview. He had to sell his ranch and home and is now living in an RV. Watch the whole interview here.
Fox News' Tucker Carlson was one the voices most actively promoting the Epps disinformation, along with a number of Republican politicians, including former President Donald Trump. Carlson was fired the day after the interview but not due to the interview.
In a Tuesday MSNBC interview, Carlson's former producer Abby Grossberg said that after the Jan. 6 attack, Carlson was eager to blame the FBI and she was tasked with finding someone willing to say that on the air. Note that Carlson wasn't seeking the truth of what happened, he was seeking a pre-determined story line he wanted to spin for his audience.
We know why the Capitol was invaded because those who invaded the Capitol told us why. They thought the election was stolen because that's what Trump and other voices, including Carlson, told them. We watched all of that happen quite publicly. Yet, some still believe the baseless Epps conspiracy theory, rather the the more obvious fact that there was an effort to overturn the election.
How to Reduce Partisan Animosity
More in Common has a new study showing a promising method to reduce partisan animosity. The study uses videos to reduce the "perception gap," which is the misinformation people hold about those with differing political views. Republicans believe Democrats are on average more liberal than they actually are and Democrats believe Republicans are on average more conservative than they really are, for instance.
The videos they used to show the perception gap reduced partisan animosity by 20 points on a 100 point scale. No other study has shown that level of success, More in Common noted.
FL Surgeon General Altered Covid Study
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo edited a state study of Covid-19 vaccines to say that young men, ages 18-39, were at risk of cardiac death if they took the vaccine. The study had actually found there was no significant risk.