It’s more difficult than ever to separate fact from journalistic or political fiction. The idea of “relative truth” has permeated almost every discussion, making it challenging to get straight answers to even some of the most basic questions. Does cholesterol matter or not? Are HPV vaccines safe or too risky? While media spin has always been a problem, it’s reached breaking point, and the majority of us feel disillusioned and frustrated. This week’s guest offers advice on how to identify and fight misinformation.

Listen and learn: 

• How a small lie wrapped in hard truths can be much more dangerous than a blatant falsehood 
• Why men are leading the charge when it comes to conspiracy theories
• How system justification theory can influence misinformation 
• Whether a small lie is OK if it’s for a good cause

Links

Sander’s site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Sander van der Linden is a social psychology professor and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab. He focuses on how misinformation spreads in online networks and how to protect against false information. He is the author of Foolproof. 

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