Kate Starbird says attacks have made research difficult, and claims of bias arise because of prevalence of lies from the right

Kate Starbird says attacks have made research difficult, and claims of bias arise because of prevalence of lies from the right

A key researcher in the fight against election misinformation – who herself became the subject of an intensive misinformation campaign – has said her field gets accused of “bias” precisely because it’s now mainly rightwingers who spread the worst lies.

Kate Starbird, co-founder of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, added that she feared that the entirely false story of rigged elections has now “sunk in” for many Americans on the right. “The idea that they’re already going to the polls with the belief that they’re being cheated means they’ll misinterpret everything they see through that lens,” she said.

Starbird’s group partnered with Stanford Internet Observatory on the Election Integrity Partnership ahead of the 2020 elections – a campaign during which a flood of misinformation swirled around the internet, with daily claims of unproven voter fraud.

Starbird and her team helped document that flood, and in return congressional Republicans and conservative attorneys attacked her research, alleging it amounted to censorship and violated the first amendment.

  • freeindv@monyet.cc
    14·
    10 months ago

    That’s a lot of words to dance around the fact that there’s the same power dynamic in both situations. Just admit it already

    • StorminNorman@lemmy.world
      3·
      10 months ago

      It’s a lot of words cos you didn’t get the point when I pointed out how it was different with only a few words. Now, I asked you to support your claim with facts. You haven’t. I’m going to assume that this means you can’t prove it. Which means you’re essentially admitting that you’re wrong. Thanks. I knew spending time with you would eventually be satisfying, cos idiots like you generally make it painfully clear to everyone just idiotic you are.

        • StorminNorman@lemmy.world
          3·
          10 months ago

          Nope. They were given a choice. And like with most choices, there were repurcussions for that choice. But they still had the choice. Nobody put a gun to their head.

          I’m still loving how your replies constantly ignore my pointing out your horseshit. You’re so weak minded you can’t even stay on topic. I didn’t even mention the vaccine in my previous comment, and you hadn’t mentioned it in your previous two. Could it be that it was the sole content of this latest comment of yours cos you can’t keep up with the convo and can’t defend your claims so you have to change the topic? Dear god, I hope you don’t vote, nobody this dumb should have a say in how their country is run…

            • StorminNorman@lemmy.world
              4·
              10 months ago

              Dunno how I can make it any clearer without tattooing it to your forehead: She. Could. Not. Consent. Due. To. The. Power. Dynamic. We’ve also covered how the power dynamic in the rape example is wildly different to the dumbass retort I know you’ll respond with that’ll be along the lines of “so the same as COVID”. That’s been done to death. You’re inability to understand this does not mean you are right. Sure, it means you’re dumb as shit for continuing with this dumb as shit line of reasoning, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is dumb as shit and thus you are wrong.

                • StorminNorman@lemmy.world
                  3·
                  10 months ago

                  Nope. The other employee was given a choice that was entirely fair. There was no abuse of power. I have given you a shitload of examples of how this works and why the two examples are vastly different. Hell, I literally did it in the comment I gave prior to this one. You have given me nothing but “nah, you’re wrong, but I can’t say why”, despite me asking for more info from you. Leaves me no choice but to assume you can’t defend your statements cos they can’t be defended. Which saddens me. Means you’re just doing this cos you’re either an idiot, or full of hate. Neither one is particularly appealing.

                  • freeindv@monyet.cc
                    13·
                    10 months ago

                    Both were fair choices made in free will or neither were. Don’t be a hypocrite, you’re better than that