I don’t trust newspapers.

Half the time they lie.

– Alex Jones, Infowars

In this conversation, we talk about trust, truth and trolls.  Are conspiracy theories a new phenomenon? Do we believe authorities less than we used to? What is a Russian troll farm?

Eileen Culloty is an expert in conspiracy theories, and she has written recently about the half-truths and lies that were traded in the media about certain events in Syria’s civil war. We also talk about the moon landings, 9/11, climate change, and a lot of other things that may or may not actually be real.

A postdoctoral researcher in the Institute for Future Media and Journalism at Dublin City University, Eileen is leading researcher on countering disinformation, as part of the EU-funded Provenance research programme. Find out more about her research here.