Shows
Post Truth be toldThe Post-Truth Presidency ReturnsTrump’s return to the Oval Office is more than a political comeback, it is evidence of how much post-truth has changed since 2016. The narrative then was that Trump rode a wave of misinformation straight into the White House. But in 2025, this is the story of a candidate whose every claim, and every scandal has been broadcast and dissected for nearly a decade. What’s changed? Populist leaders like Trump aren’t just relying on disinformation to win elections; they use it as a governing strategy. And now, with powerful allies at their side in the form of tech moguls...2025-01-2738 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsCognitive Psychology and the Effects of Repeated Falsehoods with Danielle Polage and Babak HemmatianTwo experts in the field of cognitive science bring an understanding to how the brain responds to false information online. Dr. Danielle Polage is a cognitive psychologist and professor at Central Washington University. She’s studied the impacts of false information in digital environments, and the effects exposure to repeated lying can have on an individual’s belief patterns. Dr. Babak Hemmatian has a Ph.D. in cognitive science and a Masters in computer science from Brown University. He studies how social narratives form and are negotiated using computational methods and behavioral experiments. His research dives into how people comm...2021-07-0853 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsImpact of Disinformation on the Commercial Sector with John PoulosJohn Poulos is the President and CEO of Dominion Voting, a leading industry supplier of election technology across the United States. Dominion is one of several suppliers of election technology in the United States who became a target of rampant disinformation after the 2020 election. Poulos joined Commission Co-chair and former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Chris Krebs to discuss the effects the "Big Lie" had on his company and the active role business executives must play in preventing disinformation from spreading across their own organizations.
This session is part of a video series...2021-07-0539 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsDisinformation and the Role of News Media with Jay RosenJay Rosen is a long time professor of journalism at New York University. He is the author of the PressThink blog, and one of the great thinkers on the changing nature of journalism in the digital age. His work has appeared in The New York Times, LA Times, Salon, Harper's Magazine, and The Nation. He spoke on the challenges and opportunities around disinformation and the news industry with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with...2021-07-0128 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsNews literacy and Education with Alan MillerAlan Miller is the CEO and founder of the News Literacy Project. He examines the role of news literacy and education as an effective countermeasure to the spread of mis and disinformation, with Vivian Schiller.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis called Disinfo Discussions. They are designed as a resource for the commissioners and the broader public.
To learn more about...2021-06-2822 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsFuture and Emerging Threats with Amy WebbAmy Webb is an American futurist and founder and CEO of the Future Today Institute. Amy’s work intersects with the risks and threats posed by new and future disinformation threats. She spoke with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller on what we should be anticipating and what effective measures society can take today.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis called Disinfo Discussions. Th...2021-06-2433 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsImpact of Anti-Black Radicalization and Disinformation with Brandi Collins-DexterBrandi Collins-Dexter is a visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on media, politics and public policy, and a senior fellow at Color Of Change. She’s currently writing a book about the history and trajectory of Black political, economic and social power as it relates to the loss of offline Black-owned and controlled spaces.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information cris...2021-06-2154 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsCognitive Science and the Spread of False Information with Brendan NyhanDr. Brendan Nyhan is a political scientist and professor of government at Dartmouth College. He spoke with Ryan Merkley, Aspen’s Commission on Information Disorder project director, about the effectiveness of misinformation countermeasures like fact checks on the retention of misperceptions, the US elections, platforms and the YouTube algorithm, and more.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis called Disinfo Discussions. They are designed as...2021-06-1745 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsNation-state Disinformation Threats with Graham BrookieGraham Brookie is the director of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. He spoke with Garrett Graff, the director for cyber initiatives for the Aspen Digital program on how tech innovation and disinformation are affecting the global stage.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis called Disinfo Discussions. They are designed as a resource for the commissioners and the broader public.
...2021-06-1432 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsConservative Media and Disinformation with Steve HayesSteve Hayes is the CEO, co-founder, and editor of The Dispatch, a digital media publisher with reporting and commentary on politics, policy and culture informed by conservative principles. He spoke with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller on the issues around conservative media and its role in an age of disinformation.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis called Disinfo Discussions. They are designed...2021-06-1031 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsDisinformation, Technology & Polarization with Bruce MehlmanBruce Mehlman is the founder of the bipartisan government relations firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas. He previously held the post of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy in the second Bush Administration and currently serves as Executive Director of the Technology CEO Council and Co-Chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance. He spoke on the role technology plays in a polarized political landscape with Garrett Graff, the director for cyber initiatives for the Aspen Digital program.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute...2021-06-0742 minAspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsEurope, Russia and Disinformation with Molly McKewMolly McKew is a writer and an expert who investigates the role of Russian disinformation campaigns in America and Europe. She writes the greatpower.us, a digital news platform that focuses on information warfare and propaganda, a topic she discussed with Garrett Graff, the director for cyber initiatives for the Aspen Digital program.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis called Disinfo Discussions. They...2021-06-0342 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsPrivacy in the Age of Disinformation with Julia AngwinJulia Angwin is an award-winning investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the impacts of technology on society. She spoke with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller on the issues around privacy, security and freedom in a world of mis and disinformation.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis. They are designed as a resource for the commissioners and...2021-05-3130 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsEuropean Regulation Models with Marietje SchtaakeMarietje Schaake is the international policy director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and international policy fellow at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. She spoke with Ryan Merkley, Aspen’s Commission on Information Disorder project director, on her experience as a member of European Parliament for the Dutch liberal democratic party and the legislative effort to reduce the spread and impact of disinformation on social media.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to hel...2021-05-2743 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsCrisis in Local News with Margaret Sullivan, Lauren Williams and Steve WaldmanWashington Post Media Columnist Margaret Sullivan, Lauren Williams, co-founder, CEO and Editor in Chief of Capital B, and Steve Waldman, the president and co-founder of Report for America, join Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller to discuss the crisis in local news and how it creates a void for mis and disinformation.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis. They are designed as a...2021-05-2432 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsYouth and Media Literacy with Jim SteyerJim Steyer is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Common Sense Media, the nation's leading nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and impactful voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. He speaks with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller about the impact of social media and disinformation on children.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the...2021-05-2033 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsDecline in Trust in Institutions with Ethan ZuckermanEthan Zuckerman is an associate professor of public policy, communication and information at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He’s the founder of Digital Public Infrastructure, a research group that is studying and building alternatives to the existing commercial internet, and the author of Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them. Ethan spoke with Ryan Merkley, Aspen’s Commission on Information Disorder project director, on how a decline in trust can affect our information ecosystem.
This session is part of a series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the...2021-05-1754 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsSection 230 and the First Amendment with Mary Anne Franks and Jeff KosseffTwo experts on Section 230 and the First Amendment discuss the fundamentals of these subjects with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller.
Mary Anne Franks is a professor of law at the University of Miami and a nationally and internationally recognized expert on the intersection of civil rights and technology.
Jeff Kosseff is an assistant professor of cybersecurity law in the United States Naval Academy’s Cyber Science Department who (literally) wrote the book on S230 called The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet, a history of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
...2021-05-1339 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsAd targeting, Algorithms and Marginalized Communities with Olivier SylvainOlivier Sylvain, a Professor of Law at Fordham University whose research is in communications law and policy, spoke with Ryan Merkley, Aspen’s Commission on Information Disorder project director, discussing ad targeting, algorithms and marginalized communities. Some of his most recent popular writing, scholarship, and public speaking has been on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and the social impacts of AI and targeted advertising tools.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make se...2021-05-1037 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsThe Fundamentals of Mis and Disinformation with danah boyddanah boyd is a Partner Researcher at Microsoft Research, the founder and president of Data & Society, and a Visiting Professor at New York University. She sat down with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller to discuss the range of fundamental issues around mis and disinformation.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis. They are designed as a resource for the commissioners and the...2021-04-2737 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsConspiracy Theories and Coordinated Campaigns with Renee DiRestaRenee DiResta, the Technical Research Manager of the Stanford Internet Observatory where - among other things - she investigates disinformation and propaganda by state-sponsored actors, discusses conspiracy theories and coordinated campaigns with Aspen Digital's Executive Director Vivian Schiller.
This session is part of a video series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis. They are designed as a resource for the commissioners and the broader public.
To learn more...2021-04-2732 min
Aspen Digital's Disinfo DiscussionsThe History of Disinformation with Thomas RidThomas Rid, a political scientist and professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University, discusses the history of disinformation with Aspen Digital's Director for Cyber Initiatives Garrett Graff. Rid's book, Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare, examines Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election in the US.
This session is part of a series of expert briefings on mis and disinformation hosted by the Aspen Institute in tandem with our Commission on Information Disorder to help make sense of the various facets of the information crisis. They are designed as a...2021-04-2230 min