The hottest Misinformation Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health Politics Topics

My latest email to Santa Clara County

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 10 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Health Government Misinformation Civil Rights COVID-19
  1. The government often disregards questions about their health data, which leads to frustration. People want clear explanations about their findings, especially regarding health issues.
  2. When faced with criticism, some officials prefer to avoid the conversation instead of providing evidence or clarification. This lack of dialogue can contribute to confusion and misinformation.
  3. There is a belief that accepting the CDC's guidelines without question is more common than engaging in an open discussion about alternative data. This mindset can hinder progress in public health understanding.

Measles is making a comeback thanks to anti-vaccine misinformation

Weaponized • 21 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccination Public Health Misinformation Disease Prevention
  1. Measles cases are rising in the US due to anti-vaccine misinformation, with outbreaks reported in various states
  2. Misinformation contributes to declining vaccination rates and has led to a resurgence of measles outbreaks
  3. Vaccination coverage above 95% is crucial to prevent measles outbreaks due to the highly contagious nature of the virus

Society is Questioning Social Media. That’s Good.

The Digital Anthropologist • 19 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Social media Digital Technologies Misinformation Regulations Data Privacy
  1. Society is undergoing a fundamental shift in how social media is perceived and used, indicating a positive change.
  2. There is a growing awareness and pushback against misinformation on social media at both societal and governmental levels.
  3. The evolving societal perspective on social media may lead to increased regulations and standards to protect mental health, privacy, and freedoms of citizens.
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My $100,000 offer to UC Santa Cruz

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 8 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🏥 Health Politics Vaccination Public Debate Policy Analysis Misinformation University Policy
  1. There's a challenge to UC Santa Cruz about their vaccine policies, proposing a debate where students decide the outcome.
  2. If the university's vaccine policy is better than the challenger's, they get $100,000; if not, UC Santa Cruz pays that amount to another organization.
  3. The university recently limited its use of social media to reduce misinformation, highlighting differing views on what misinformation really is.

I have some questions for Elon Musk

Weaponized • 51 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Tech Journalism Social media Misinformation Government funding
  1. Elon Musk needs to take responsibility for his decisions, especially if he associates with controversial figures.
  2. Proper interviews with Elon Musk should provide challenging questions about his platform management, decision-making, and claims.
  3. Elon Musk should be held accountable for actions such as re-platforming neo-Nazis and dismantling Twitter's verification system.

Do the Diphtheria Vaccines Used in the U.S. Stop Infection and Transmission of the Diphtheria Bacterium?

Injecting Freedom • 15 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccines Immunity Misinformation
  1. The diphtheria vaccine in the US is part of a combination vaccine mandated for grades K-12 to prevent transmission in schools.
  2. The diphtheria vaccine works to stop infection and transmission of the diphtheria bacterium.
  3. The belief behind the mandate is that the vaccine helps prevent the spread of diphtheria within the school setting.

Congressional News

Who is Robert Malone • 15 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Misinformation First Amendment Legislation
  1. A report uncovers how the National Science Foundation funds automated tools for online censorship, attempting to keep its actions hidden.
  2. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces the Matthew Lawrence Perna Act of 2024, addressing fair treatment of nonviolent political protestors and government accountability.
  3. John Strand, facing a 32-month prison sentence, rejected a plea deal after being found guilty in relation to the events of January 6, with media portrayal seen as biased and sensationalized.

Misinformation Squares

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 5 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
🏥 Health Politics Vaccine Safety Public Health Medical Ethics Health Research Misinformation
  1. The Vaccine Safety Research Foundation (VSRF) has had a successful year revealing important data about vaccine safety. They share evidence and hold discussions on issues related to vaccines and health policies.
  2. The annual fundraiser, called 'Misinformation Squares,' will be a fun event featuring knowledgeable guests discussing vaccine awareness. It's set for December 5, 2024, and aims to raise support for safety research.
  3. VSRF offers ways for people to get involved through donations, purchases from their shop, and even participating in raffles. Supporting their efforts helps promote transparency in vaccine safety.

On the Current Covid "Surge": Misinformation from the Media and the Experts

Silent Lunch, The David Zweig Newsletter • 32 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Misinformation Public Health COVID-19 Media influence
  1. A rise in Covid cases shows the problem of hypocrisy around public health misinformation.
  2. Media and health professionals use hyperbolic language that can be close to misinformation.
  3. Claims linking Covid spikes to people letting their guard down lack evidence and can be harmful.

Who Broke America?

Daniel Pinchbeck’s Newsletter • 15 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Society Misinformation Political polarization Information Warfare Conspiracy Theories
  1. The disintegration of America is believed to be caused by internal factors like financialization of the economy and wealth concentration, as well as external influences like Russian disinformation.
  2. Misinformation and conspiracies have been fueled by the fast, reactive, and emotionally-driven nature of social media, creating a sense of urgency and blurring the line between what is emotionally urgent and what is genuinely important.
  3. As society grapples with a reality where traditional definitions and concepts are losing meaning, there is a need to find ways to address the confusion, mistrust, and division to move towards a more coherent and unified collective movement.

An open invitation to resolve the vaccine misinformation problem

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 7 implied HN points • 15 Oct 24
🏥 Health Politics Vaccine debate Misinformation Public Health Scientific Integrity Health Policy
  1. Misinformation about vaccines can seriously harm people, and we can't fix it with threats or censorship. It needs open discussions based on science.
  2. Health authorities are currently avoiding conversations about vaccine misinformation, which makes it harder to address the issue effectively.
  3. Censorship doesn't work for solving debates about vaccines. Instead, we should encourage public discussions to find out the truth and potentially save lives.

✅ Monday briefing: Exiting Russia, brand vandals, war misinformation, niche podcasts, local media newsletters, Socially Mobile, Twitter downvote, Google Analytics, and more...

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 21 Mar 22
📰 News Media War Misinformation Corporate Technology
  1. Over 400 companies have stopped doing business in Russia due to the war in Ukraine, but some still remain there. Yale researchers are tracking these corporate decisions.
  2. Niche podcasts are becoming popular and can make money through sponsorships and branded content. They offer creative and focused storytelling.
  3. Twitter has added a downvote feature to help users filter out unwanted content. This change is now available on both Android and iOS apps.

Reality Distortion Fields

Perspective Agents • 18 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Social media AI Digital Media Automation Misinformation
  1. Reality distortion fields can be created by charismatic leaders, media outlets, and technology to influence perceptions and beliefs.
  2. Misinformation and disinformation campaigns during conflicts like the Hamas-Israeli conflict illustrate the challenges in verifying reality and the impact of digital manipulation.
  3. The rise of automated agents and generative AI poses a threat to political persuasion and calls for critical thinking, media literacy, and diverse information sources to combat distorted realities.

The single most misleading graph of the pandemic

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 24 Oct 24
🏥 Health Politics Public Health Vaccination Data Analysis COVID-19 Misinformation
  1. A graph shows that vaccinated people are much less likely to die from COVID compared to those who are unvaccinated. This sounds convincing to get vaccinated.
  2. However, the graph might be misleading and doesn't tell the full story behind the numbers.
  3. The author offers more insights about why the graph is deceptive and argues against getting vaccinated.

Learning from the Current Crisis

DruGroup • 59 implied HN points • 28 Sep 21
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Crisis Management Leadership Public Trust Misinformation Communication
  1. Crises compound rather than just add up. When multiple crises happen at once, it’s much harder to cope than when dealing with them one by one.
  2. Distrust in leaders spreads easily. When people start to distrust one authority figure, they often end up distrusting others too, which can damage organizations.
  3. Misinformation is a constant challenge. Leaders need to communicate clearly and consistently to combat false information, despite some people believing the wrong things.

I finally was able to talk to a top official at FDA media relations live. Here's what happened...

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 12 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🏥 Health Politics FDA Vaccines Misinformation Dialogue Safety
  1. The individual made multiple attempts to contact the FDA regarding various concerns, but did not receive any response.
  2. Despite lack of response, the individual was able to connect with a live member of FDA media relations leadership and presented their offer for a public dialog to address differences.
  3. While unsure of FDA's willingness to engage in public discussion, the individual finds the connection made with FDA media relations leadership intriguing.

New York Times Cites False CDC Covid Data, Inflating Pediatric Mortality Count

Silent Lunch, The David Zweig Newsletter • 16 implied HN points • 24 Jul 23
📰 News Health Politics Journalism Misinformation Public Health Media Reporting
  1. CDC provides two sets of Covid mortality data but one is inaccurate
  2. Many journalists, including those from New York Times, report incorrect Covid mortality numbers
  3. Public health agencies may provide misleading information and journalists should verify accuracy

Gates Foundation isn't interested in stopping vaccine misinformation

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 10 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Health Philanthropy COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation
  1. Gates Foundation doesn't want a public discussion to address COVID vaccine misinformation
  2. The author proposed involving 'misinformation spreaders' and Gates Foundation experts in a dialogue, but received no response
  3. The foundation chose not to engage in resolving differences on vaccine safety and efficacy through open conversation

Why vaccine misinformation is winning the information war

Weaponized • 5 HN points • 17 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Misinformation Vaccines Communication Trust Social Science
  1. Misinformation about vaccines is spreading faster than efforts to debunk it, limiting the impact of accurate information campaigns.
  2. Addressing vaccine misinformation needs to consider the complex reasons why people fall for it, such as political beliefs or past mistreatment by authorities.
  3. Combatting vaccine misinformation requires more than just sharing facts, it's crucial to understand the root causes of hesitancy and engage with empathy and trust.

Misinformation is at Most Weakly Related to Lack of Knowledge

By Reason Alone • 9 HN points • 20 Jun 23
🔬 Science Misinformation Knowledge Beliefs Education Climate change
  1. Misinformation is not always due to lack of knowledge, but can stem from having too much specific information on certain topics.
  2. More education can sometimes lead to more polarized beliefs, rather than always resulting in correct beliefs.
  3. Understanding is not just about having true information, but also about navigating biases and not getting caught up in popular misconceptions.

✅ Monday briefing: WaddsCon, connections counter misinformation, print plummets, book review, saying sorry, royal communication, global risks, Wikipedia guidance, image to text, and more…

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 17 Jan 22
📰 News Media Misinformation Digital Research Social media
  1. WaddsCon is looking for media case studies and new ideas to help improve media relations. If you have something to share, they want to hear from you.
  2. Connections and trustworthy communities can help fight misinformation. Most people just consume content, so good information sharing is really important.
  3. Most print media is losing readers, moving towards digital as audiences change. The only print that saw growth recently was The Metro as commuters returned to offices.

VSRF LIVE TONIGHT: Episode 155 - The Misinformation Squares Gameshow!

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 1 implied HN point • 05 Dec 24
🏥 Health Politics Misinformation Public Health Health Freedom Vaccination Health Advocacy
  1. There is a special gameshow event called 'The Misinformation Squares' happening tonight. It's a fun way to highlight some controversial figures in the misinformation field.
  2. People can watch the show online and participate for a chance to win various prizes. Prizes include t-shirts and cozy winter items.
  3. There are different ticket options available for those interested in more than just watching. Some tickets even include exclusive content and discussions about health.

The Cure to Misinformation is More Misinformation

The Prism • 8 HN points • 24 Apr 23
🌍 World Politics Misinformation Regulation Censorship Conspiracy Theories AI
  1. The cure to misinformation is believed to be more misinformation, not less, by some experts.
  2. Attempts to regulate misinformation through censorship and AI may not be effective and could actually make the problem worse.
  3. Exposing people to misinformation in a controlled manner, similar to vaccination, can help them develop immunity and discern truth from falsehood.

VSRF LIVE Tonight: Episode 148 - The Misinformation Epidemic with Dr. Raphael Lataster, PhD.

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 1 implied HN point • 17 Oct 24
🎙 Podcasts Health Politics Misinformation Media Discussion
  1. Dr. Raphael Lataster will discuss misinformation, focusing on health and politics, especially related to COVID-19.
  2. He has previous research experience on misinformation in religion and now runs a news platform that promotes alternative viewpoints.
  3. The event invites viewers to join the conversation and support the cause of health freedom through donations.

What RFK Jr. Got Wrong & A Debate Challenge

Brian’s Substack • 2 HN points • 25 Jun 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccines Debate Research Misinformation Public Health
  1. RFK Jr.'s claims about Ivermectin and the Emergency Use Authorization Act are false and misleading.
  2. RFK Jr.'s arguments against vaccine efficacy are countered by studies showing the impact and value of vaccines in saving lives.
  3. RFK Jr. has challenged vaccine experts to debate, but experts have declined, questioning the validity of his positions.