Month: January 2013
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New at CJR: Boosting the Sandy Hook truther myth
In my new column at CJR, I argue that the media should be wary of giving additional attention to Sandy Hook truthers, which may actually help to spread their false claims. Here’s how it begins: In the weeks since the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, fringe conspiracy theorists have suggested
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New at CJR: Putting bargaining positions into context
My new column at CJR covers the need for reporters to be more skeptical about politicians’ expressed commitments to their beliefs during bargaining processes like the current debt ceiling showdown. Here’s how it begins: Insider reporting is vital to understanding what The Wall Street Journal’s Gerald Seib describes as the “‘Groundhog Day’ loop of fiscal
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New at CJR: Covering IPAB, avoiding “death panels”
My new column at CJR discusses the challenges facing health care journalists in covering the Independent Payment Advisory Board without reinforcing the “death panel” myth. Here’s how it begins: One of the most underrated political stories of the next year is the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA), which continues
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New study on difficulty of correcting death panel myth
For those who are interested, I have a new study out in Medical Care titled “The Hazards of Correcting Myths About Health Care Reform” (gated) with Jason Reifler and Peter Ubel. Here’s the abstract (see also this morning’s press release): Context: Misperceptions are a major problem in debates about health care reform and other controversial
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New at CJR: Covering Boehner’s struggles
My new column at CJR reviews coverage of John Boehner’s re-election as Speaker of the House. Like much recent coverage of his leadership, these articles often provided little explanatory context for why he has struggled to exercise control over his caucus. Here’s how it begins: On Thursday, John Boehner survived some conservative defections to narrowly
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New research on the effects of positive misinformation
For those who are interested, I have a new article in Political Psychology with Michael Cobb and Jason Reifler on the effects of discredited positive misinformation. Contrary to previous research, which finds that negative misinformation tends to have lasting effects on people’s evaluations of politicians even after it is shown to be false, we show