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Noon Edition

Combating Public Distrust And The Spread Of Misinformation

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Voting was delayed at the U.S. Capitol for several hours while the building was cleared. (Courtesy of Garret VanHoy)

Noon Edition airs on Fridays at noon on WFIU.

Historically, public distrust of institutions in the US is not new.

The Smithsonian Magazine says conspiracies first became prevalent with the emergence of modern-day political parties in the 1820s and 1830s. Democrats, National Republicans, Anti-Masons, and Whigs used conspiracies to gain voters. This ultimately brought about a recession and collapse in the public’s trust in its government.

With the emergence of 21st century communication technology, misinformation and public distrust is on the rise today.

Election officials and healthcare workers battled misinformation about elections and COVID-19 throughout 2020.

The Pew Research Center says public trust of the federal government has sat at a historically low 20 percent since the 2007 recession, and a Gallup poll says public distrust of mass media is at an all-time high.

The Pew Research Center says numbers of Republicans who trust the federal government increased under Trump’s presidency to 28 percent. That number was 11 percent during the Obama Administration.

Democrats' trust in the government was at 12 percent during Trump’s time in office, while that number was 34 percent under the Obama Administration. 

The World Health Organization referred to the recent spread of misinformation and disinformation as an infodemic that is polarizing the public. 

Last month, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building as members of the House gathered to confirm President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. They believed his claims that the election had been stolen.

According to the Washington Post, Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading claims in four years.

A study by the IU Media School’s Observatory on Social Media looked at five popular false narratives surrounding the 2020 election. Results showed more than 60 percent of participants believed at least one narrative. The most believed of the five narratives was that mail-in voting causes voter fraud, which more than 46 percent of respondents believed.

This week, we’re talking about the spread of misinformation and public distrust.

You can follow us on Twitter @NoonEdition or join us on the air by calling in at 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send us questions for the show at news@indianapublicmedia.org.

Note-This week of our guests and hosts will participate remotely to avoid risk of spreading infection. 

Guests

Lori Robertson, FactCheck.org managing editor

Mike Gruszczynski, assistant professor IU Media School

Joseph Vitriol, senior researcher Stony Brook University, political science department 

 

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