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Misinformation: Fact-Checking Journalism’s Evolution and Impact

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A series of studies published over recent years have shown that, while fact-checks will, of course, not alter an individual’s long-held worldview, they can and do have “significantly positive overall influence” on reader’s factual understanding and “reduce belief in misinformation, often durably so.” Two recent studies have shown that so-called “warning labels” attached to online content “effectively reduce belief and spread of misinformation” and do so “even for those most distrusting of fact-checkers.”

The Child Tax Credit Changed My Life. Bring It Back.

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A myth exists in America that financial well-being follows if we just work hard and make good choices. But it’s not that simple. At some point, most of us face unforeseen obstacles — from physical or mental health challenges to lost jobs, economic downturns, and natural disasters. Along with low wages and other structural causes of poverty, that puts financial well-being out of reach for about 140 million people in this country.

Ex-GOP Chief Christian Ziegler Won’t Face Rape Charge But Voyeurism Probe Continues

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Sarasota police Friday said they do not have “probable cause” to charge former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Christian Ziegler with sexual battery but are asking prosecutors to review allegations of video voyeurism. The announcement came less than two weeks after state party leaders removed Ziegler from the chairmanship amid the police investigation into Ziegler’s sexual encounter with a woman in October.

Is America Enduring a Slow Civil War? A Look at the ‘Undertow.’

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Jeff Sharlet’s “The Undertow” tells how the cultural divisions in American society could allow such a thing as the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters to happen. (And how, despite everything that’s happened since, he remains the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential race.) Sharlet believes that event is part of a “slow civil war” that threatens the future of the American republic.

Why Extreme Cold Happens in a Warming World

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Extreme cold-weather events often occur in association with changes to another river of air high above the jet stream: the stratospheric polar vortex, a great stream of air moving around the North Pole in the middle of the stratosphere. When this stratospheric vortex becomes disrupted or stretched in part due to warming, it can distort the jet stream as well, pushing it southward in some areas and causing cold air outbreaks.

Your Laundry Is a Top Source of Microplastic Pollution

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The most common microplastics in the environment are microfibers – plastic fragments shaped like tiny threads or filaments. Microfibers come from many sources, including cigarette butts, fishing nets and ropes, but the biggest source is synthetic fabrics, which constantly shed them.

Stop the LGBTQ Cheap Shots

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There are some feel-good bills and cheap shots that require no courage to vote for and bring the political bonus of being difficult for an opponent to argue against this summer, when most legislators will be back home running for re-election. And no topic makes for easier demagoguery than sex, specifically any activity that makes strait-laced Republicans a little squeamish.

70 Years After Brown vs. Board of Education, Deep Segregation Persists

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In June 2023, the Supreme Court ended most race-conscious college admissions efforts. The decision followed the Covid pandemic, which exacerbated racial inequalities in the U.S.. Politicians and school boards have banned or removed books by authors of color from school libraries and restricted teaching about racism in U.S. history. These setbacks amid the current political climate make finally realizing the full promise of Brown more urgent.

Trump Trounces DeSantis and Haley in Iowa

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DeSantis bet heavily on Iowa as he tried to become the alternative candidate to Trump. But as of midnight Eastern time, Trump had won about 51 percent of the vote — with a chance to win all 99 Iowa counties — while DeSantis was at about 21 percent.

Scattershot in 2016, Trump’s Iowa Campaign Was All Business This Time

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Attention to organizing is a shift for the Trump campaign. Today, it looks nothing like the scattershot campaign from 2016, the only other time Trump has waged a nomination battle in the state. Trump’s nod to organizing is noteworthy and is at odds with his brand, which is more focused on stirring the pot and agitating, rather than painstakingly building an infrastructure.

The Check MLK Wanted Cashed for the ‘Riches of Freedom and the Security of Justice’ Is Still Bouncing

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The African American community is experiencing record low unemployment, record highs in income and educational attainment, and has seen a massive decline in income poverty since the 1960s. Despite all that, the check for racial economic equality is still bouncing. Without intervention, it will take centuries for Black wealth to catch up with white wealth in this country.

Mary Lou Retton’s Explanation About Having No Health Insurance Makes No Sense

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Former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton revealed that she survived a rare pneumonia but was uninsured, blaming that lack of coverage on 30 orthopedic surgeries that count as “preexisting conditions,” a divorce, and her poor finances. The reasons she cited for not buying coverage — preexisting conditions and cost — are among the things the Affordable Care Act directly addresses, making her claim difficult to believe.

Was Going to Space a Good Idea?

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Nations are competing to exploit lunar and asteroid mineral resources. Private corporations and space billionaires are increasingly being touted as the way forward. After the Moon, Mars is the next world in line for “conquest”. The contemporary movement known as longtermism promotes living on other planets as insurance against existential risk, in a far future where humans (or some form of them) spread to fill the galaxies.

How Coca-Cola Took Africa

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A new book called Bottled: How Coca-Cola Became African tells the story of how the world’s most famous carbonated drink conquered the continent. It’s a tale of marketing gumption and high politics and is the product of years of research by critical writing lecturer Sara Byala, who researches histories of heritage, sustainability and the ways in which capitalist systems intersect with social and cultural forces in Africa.

Where the Humanities and Medicine Meet

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While there is a long history of doctor-poets – one giant of mid-20th-century poetry, William Carlos Williams, was famously also a pediatrician – few people seem to know this or understand the power of combining the humanities and medicine. Literature has had a large role in helping the author define the kind of physician she strives to be – one who is not only empathetic and a good listener but also a fierce advocate for changing the sociopolitical forces that affect patients’ lives.

How Pundits Help, Hurt and Reflect Democracy

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Pundits can play a productive role by focusing on issues rather than identities. They contribute to democratic backsliding when they cultivate dystopian views of politics. The best example is the relentless negativity that characterized commentary on presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016.

‘Call It a Culture War If You Want’: Paul Renner’s Opening-Day Speech Cites Reagan, Churchill and Children

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In his opening-day speech before the Florida Legislature, House Speaker Paul Renner spoke of what he termed the “devastating effects” of social media on children, invoked culture war rhetoric and made a reference to Churchill saving Britain from Nazis, and pledged to punish “flash mobs that target retailers.” Here’s the full text of his speech.

3 Months of Devastation in Gaza for This: Stalemate

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Three months after the current conflict began, civilians have borne the brunt of the violence on both sides, with the deaths of more than 22,000 Palestinians in Gaza and 1,200 Israelis. Some 85% of Gazans have also been displaced and a quarter of the population is facing a famine, according to the United Nations. The conflict still has a long way to run and may be headed towards stalemate.

#JeSuisCharlie Went Viral 9 Years Ago. It Couldn’t Happen Today.

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The immense popularity of #JeSuisCharlie is a prime example of how the technology available to us can shape our understanding of shared experiences. The hashtag #JeSuisCharlie capitalised on these. It was widely adopted by those defending free expression, but a flurry of counter-narratives quickly emerged providing alternative perspectives on the attack.

An Interview with Acclaimed Civil Rights Attorney and Equal Justice Initiative Founder Bryan Stevenson

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Bryan Stevenson is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal clinic in Montgomery, Ala., that’s made strides on prisoners’ behalf, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a six-acre remembrance space highlighting the racial terrorism campaign that saw the lynching of over 6,500 victims, including women and children. In a wide-ranging interview, he reflects on the state of race in America and how honest accounts of history can help overcome resistance to progress.

School Board and Other Elected Officials Could Soon Be Barred from Censoring People on Social Media

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At stake is what constitutes state action – or action taken in an official governmental capacity – on social media. Under the First Amendment, officials engaging in state action cannot restrict individuals’ freedom of speech and expression. The ruling could establish whether social media accounts of public officials should be treated as personal or governmental.

The Generosity and Warmth of Poet Seamus Heaney

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The English war poet Wilfred Owen once wrote, “Celebrity is the last infirmity I desire.” Killed in France at the age of 25, unpublished and unknown, “celebrity” for Owen was a posthumous phenomenon. By contrast, celebrity status for the Irish poet Seamus Heaney – “Famous Seamus” – came early in his life.

Lawsuit Blames DeSantis for Wresting Control from FDLE to Keep Travel Records Secret

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A legal battle has intensified about public records related to travel by Gov. Ron DeSantis, as The Washington Post accused the governor’s office of taking “control” of Florida Department of Law Enforcement compliance with the state’s Sunshine Law. A lawsuit about the records has roiled the FDLE, resulting in whistleblower complaints and the ouster of two high-ranking officials.

How Religion and Politics Will Mix in 2024

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Religion is likely to play a big role in voters’ choices in the 2024 presidential election – much as it did in previous years. Despite an overall shift away from participation in organized religion in the U.S. populace, religious rhetoric in the political arena has intensified with end-times rhetoric, talk of divine mandates and the intersection of white supremacy and Christian nationalism.