In this episode, Renee DiResta, a prominent expert who studies malign narratives across social networks and what can be done to rebut them, walks Steve and Andrew through her thinking on several provocative questions: Why does the coronavirus pandemic invite pseudoscience, government conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns? What to make of the recent release of the "Plandemic" video in which the discredited scientist Judy Miskovits makes outlandish, unsubstantiated claims of a secrete plot by global elites – Bill Gates and Tony Fauci – to use the pandemic to grab power, attracting 8 million viewers in short order? Why are CDC and WHO “behemoths” incapable of adapting to new realities? Where are other trusted authoritative sources? As the push accelerates for a vaccine for the planet, can we expect expansive personal attacks upon those developing the solutions?

Renee DiResta is the technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory and a regular contributor to Wired magazine.