Emma Monk is a molecular biologist turned anti-misinformation campaigner who has spent over a decade debunking falsehoods in both mainstream media and social media platforms, particularly X (aka Twitter).

Emma’s ability to present complex topics in simple ways is evidenced by her loyal following on X and regularly hitting half a million views, her articles on wide-ranging topics in Byline Times and West Country Voices, and her media invitations to debunk important stories.

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) – Preview

(00:03:48) – Debunking misinformation: A case study

(00:10:14) – The role of media in misinformation

(00:11:56) – How Emma transitioned from molecular biology to misinformation busting

(00:18:03) – The Influence of populist politics on COVID-19 misinformation

(00:21:38) – How governments and the media manipulated COVID-19 facts

(00:22:52) – Tim's experience with UK government's "VIP Lane" corruption scandal

00:28:02 – The rise of misinformation and its impact on everyone(00:35:15) – Critical thinking vs. misinformation

(00:37:33) – The conflict between science and belief

(00:43:24) – Emma's bravery in diving deep into Twitter's (X) cesspit!

(00:47:47) – How fighting misinformation can change people's lives

(00:53:54) – Cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias

(00:57:28) – The role of real-world experiences in busting misinformation

(01:03:36) – How the system caused people to distrust experts

(01:07:56) – Engaging constructively with people who disagree with you

(01:13:48) – The importance of real-life conversations to beat misinformation

(01:19:18) – The power and financial motives behind populism

(01:31:57) – The young generation's disillusionment with democracy

Episode Notes & Citations:

⁠⁠https://ceoretort.com/podcast/guest/2025/06/30/emma-monk-misinformation-broke-our-societies-for-power/

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