Spencer Critchley

Communication and Change

A Prison Of Lies: How Misinformation Became a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry and Broke Democracy

by

[Also published at Huffington Post.] Imagine if counterfeiting suddenly became legal. Say we asked people not to do it — but there would be no penalty if they did. What would happen? Simple: There would be an explosion of fake money. If people … [Continue reading] about A Prison Of Lies: How Misinformation Became a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry and Broke Democracy

Here’s the Scam That Makes Conservatives Believe the Mainstream Media Is Lying

by

Welfare fraud Google results

[Also published at Huffington Post.]  Recently a Facebook friend shared this outrage-inducing headline: BREAKING: Massive Illegal Immigrant Welfare Fraud Discovered. My first reaction was, “Obviously fake news.” The source was something called … [Continue reading] about Here’s the Scam That Makes Conservatives Believe the Mainstream Media Is Lying

Americans Fear Refugees Because We’re Bad At Math

by

Lightning bolt over nighttime desert scene

Add this to the list of disturbing reasons for America’s panic over refugees: fewer and fewer of us can do the basic math of calculating the true risk. But really, it’s not that hard — and understanding it is crucial to avoiding being … [Continue reading] about Americans Fear Refugees Because We’re Bad At Math

Is Bannon Just “Defending American Culture?” Without Immigration, It Wouldn’t Exist

by

Statue of Liberty at night

[Also published at Huffington Post.] Some readers have challenged my assertion that Steve Bannon is an ethnic nationalist, on the premise that Bannon is just defending the Judeo-Christian culture that has helped make America what it is. I maintain … [Continue reading] about Is Bannon Just “Defending American Culture?” Without Immigration, It Wouldn’t Exist