I’m launching Misguided: The Audio Edition right here on the newsletter. It’s a chapter-by-chapter audio companion to the book, with updated commentary on everything that’s happened since it went to press. Today, that series begins, and this first episode is free for everyone.
Before you hit play, let me tell you a little more about what this project actually is and why it exists.
Why this series
When my book Misguided came out in early 2025, one of the most common things people told me was that they wished there was an audio version. So did I. My publisher explored it but ultimately couldn’t make it work, so I decided to make it myself. And the more I worked on it, the more I realized this format has real advantages over a straight recording of the book.
Misguided can be dense in parts as I pack in a lot of social science research. That was intentional as I wanted every major claim backed by evidence, and I didn’t want to oversimplify. But that also means it can be a lot to absorb all of those scientific studies. This audio series gives you the core insights from each chapter in a focused, listenable form, without all the footnotes and detailed study breakdowns slowing things down. The nuances from the evidence-based insights are all still there, in the print and digital editions, if you want to go deeper. Think of this as the essential version, the ideas you should walk away with, presented as directly as I can manage.
And then there’s what I’m calling the author’s update.
Each episode has two parts. A summary of the chapter’s core research and arguments. And then my own unscripted commentary, where I go from “author presenting the book” to “author reflecting a year later.” This covers what I’d add now, what’s happened in the world since the book went to press, and how the science connects to the moment we’re actually living in.
That last part is where things get interesting, because the world has moved significantly in the year since I finalized the manuscript. The chapter on rebuilding trust in public health institutions reads very differently in 2026. So does the chapter on the future of AI and misinformation. And the chapter on how political identity shapes what we believe, well, the evidence keeps piling up.
The book came out about a year ago. I think it’s more relevant now than when I wrote it.
What’s coming in the series
Here’s the full lineup. Each episode covers one chapter, with a summary of the key research and my updated commentary.
This first episode is free for everyone. Episodes 2–8 are for paid subscribers only. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, this is a good moment to try the format before you decide.
This episode is also available on the Misguided podcast, so if you’re a longtime podcast listener, you’ll find it there automatically. Future episodes in the series will be for paid Substack subscribers only and won’t appear in the public podcast feed.
Episode 1 — Introduction (free)What is the scope of this book, and why did a sociologist who started in neuroscience end up studying misinformation?
Episode 2 — The Scope and Consequences of MisinformationHow widespread is it, how can we measure it, and what does it actually cost us?
Episode 3 — How Our Identities Make Us VulnerableWhat is the psychology behind why we reject facts, and what can actually help?
Episode 4 — COVID, Politics, and Talking Across the DivideHow did a virus become partisan, and what does the evidence say about having difficult conversations across that divide?
Episode 5 — How Social Networks Spread MisinformationWho we know shapes what we believe, but how exactly, and what can help?
Episode 6 — Vaccine Misinformation and Rebuilding TrustHow does the anti-vaccine movement work, and can institutions earn trust back?
Episode 7 — Media Literacy, Critical Ignoring, and PrebunkingWhat education actually works, and what’s just wishful thinking?
Episode 8 — The Future of Misinformation, RevisitedI wrote this chapter during the AI explosion. One year in: what did I get right, what did I miss, and where is this all heading now?
Episodes will drop roughly weekly.
A personal note before you listen
I submitted the last major revisions of Misguided on January 15th, 2025. About a week later, I received an email telling me my position at Notre Dame had been eliminated. The grant funding it had been cut for not aligning with the new administration’s priorities. The goal of that grant was simply to advance media literacy in the US, and in Southeast Asia, which is under-researched in this space. I was working on tools to help people recognize AI-generated video and understand why they trust information from chatbots. Nothing partisan. None of it mattered.
It was a difficult period. Science and health funding was being cut broadly, misinformation research specifically was under attack, and finding a new position in that environment was genuinely hard. I cobbled things together: adjuncting, consulting, growing this newsletter and podcast, searching for funding for the science communication nonprofit I work with, The Evidence Collective. I also landed a research contract with Georgetown, as part of the Lancet Commission on health, faith, and trust, which I’ll talk more about when we get to the chapters on vaccines and institutional trust.
Eventually, I found a wonderful new job at the Yale School of Public Health, where I study how and why people trust health information, and help run science communication training on campus. It’s a great fit and opportunity.
I share all of this because it’s part of the story of why this series exists, and because it connects directly to what the book is about: the structural forces that shape what we know and what we’re allowed to say. The same year my book about misinformation went to press, misinformation research in the United States was severely defunded. While my book focuses on the social psychology of why we believe falsehoods, I also cover some structural issues, and the updated commentary of each chapter allows me to spend a little more time on that level as well.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit matthewfacciani.substack.com/subscribe
