Unspun

Who Controls Your News Feed? Algorithms, Inequality, and the News You See (UnSpun Journal Club)

You probably saw some news today. But did you choose it? Or did it simply find you? In this episode of UnSpun, DrSturg looks at research examining how people experience news in everyday life—and why that experience differs depending on how much money you have and how educated you are. The industry needs to look at audiences differently, and the implications for democracy are profound. LINKS Paper covered in this episode Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Can You Trust Influencers? The Hidden Power of Parasocial Relationships

Why does an influencer you've never met sometimes feel like a friend? In this episode of UnSpun, DrSturg looks at the psychology behind parasocial relationships — the one-sided relationships audiences can develop with influencers, creators, streamers, and other public figures. We’ll look at how influencers create a sense of intimacy and how those relationships can make advertising more persuasive, reduce our resistance to sales pitches, increase loyalty, and encourage people to spend more time and money with a creator. They can also create enormous pressure for influencers themselves. And the stakes get even higher when influence moves beyond products and into politics. As governments, brands, platforms, and political actors recognize how powerful influencers can be, we have to ask a bigger question: What happens when the person shaping what you think is not a journalist, but someone who feels like your friend? Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Original image from Fquasie on Wikimedia Commons. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Science for the rest of us: Why experts need a megaphone (UnSpun Rewind)

It's harder to get quality information on science that affects your health and life. Dr. Sturg interviews science communicator and neuroscientist Dr. Ben Rein on how researchers with media skills can make a difference. PLUS, People rely on some bad cues for how to make choices, and sometimes newsmakers don't help. In this episode, learn why "we've always done it this way" can be a bad thing. Follow Dr. Ben Rein https://www.benrein.com https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.brein?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/doctor.brein/?hl=en https://twitter.com/dr_brein https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn3KN9-HZ0y_kgZWlkhOPtQ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xjXaTY4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Follow Dr. Sturg https://twitter.com/DrSturg https://www.instagram.com/drsturgill/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandasturgill/ Check out my books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We Are #AltGov; Inside the Social Media Resistance Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Why quality news matters: Journalism and Democracy (UnSpun Rewind)

How can we be drowning in information and at the same time, badly informed? In this week's UnSpun, DrSturg breaks down the relationship of journalism and democracy. Journalism came first, and democracy wouldn't exist without it. But today, journalism is struggling and around the world, democracy is struggling right along with it. Find out how the relationship works, why it's failing and what you can do about it as you get UnSpun. Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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What happens when the rich control the news? UnSpun Rewind: Press in an Oligarchy

Who really controls the news? And what happens when it's the wealthy? In this UnSpun, rewind, Dr. Sturg explores the role of the press in an oligarchy, which is where a small, powerful elite shapes public perception through media ownership, restricted access, and censorship. From billionaire-backed news outlets to state-controlled media, learn how information is manipulated and some things journalists can do to fight back. Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Why is the government targeting universities and the media? UnSpun Rewind on Authoritarians and the News

On this week's UnSpun, DrSturg explores why authoritarian governments target the press and educational institutions, and how these tactics are appearing in democracies worldwide: Why authoritarian governments restrict press freedom: Common tactics of information control: The consequences of information control: Ways to overcome the censorship Resources mentioned: Survey: http://bit.ly/UnSpunSurvey Books: "Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News" and "We Are #AltGov: Social Media Resistance from the Inside" Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Why does everything feel broken? How newsmakers use sabotage methods to undermine your confidence in your government

There was a secret playbook for destroying governments and newsmakers use some of the same tactics on YOU right now. What if the chaos in your government isn't an accident? In 1944, the OSS (now the CIA) wrote a classified manual teaching resistance fighters how to dismantle a Nazi occupation from within. Today, those same tactics are being used by governments, politicians and would-be authoritarians,and it's working. In this episode of UnSpun, DrSturg goes over the 5 sabotage strategies straight from the now declassified Simple Sabotage Field Manual. Learn what to look for with examples from recent news. LINKS The declassified OSS sabotage manual JD Vance tweet with false information about immigrants eating pets Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Less news, more noise: Why weaker newscasts are bad for democracy

America has more news shows than ever, but somehow, we have less information. In this episode of UnSpun Journal Club, DrSturg looks as new research analyzing more than fifty years of American broadcast television news. Researchers found that advertising has expanded while substantive public-interest reporting has steadily declined. She also looks at how political rhetoric shapes public perception, why language that divides people into "normal" and "abnormal" matters and the best thing you can do to fight it. LINKS The Vanderbilt TV News Archive Original Paper from This Episode Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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The hidden cost of paywalls: How restricting news hurts democracy

Quality journalism costs money while misinformation is usualy free? But most quality news is behind a paywall and few people want to pay. In this episode of UnSpun, DrSturg traces the history of the news paywall from the early days of online newspapers to today's subscription economy and examines what decades of research tell us about who pays, who doesn't, and what that means for public knowledge. Follow @drsturg on Bluesky DrSturg's book, Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News teaches you how to identify this kind of shady language yourself, using real examples from the news. Check it out and be smarter! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Should We Trust AI Fact Checkers? | UnSpun Journal Club

Can artificial intelligence help stop misinformation—or could it quietly make the problem worse? In this episode of UnSpun Journal Club, check out new research on whether communication managers trust AI fact-checking tools and what happens when humans remain "in the loop." Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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From Waco to Tulsi Gabbard: How the news media struggle to cover cults

What happens when secretive religious movements intersect with politics? In this episode of Unseen, Dr. Sturg begins with the present: recent reporting on Tulsi Gabbard and the Science of Identity Foundation before tracing the fascinating history of journalists covering new religious movements from the 1930s to today and on multiple continents. She has aliens, telepathy and a wild story about how a news guy actually tipped off the Branch Davidians. Links Here's the Washington Post piece on Gabbard (gift link) Check out the Heaven's Gate website - still maintained by some followers left behind just to keep it up. Hear the Hu sound from Eckankar for yourself. Follow @drsturg on Bluesky DrSturg's book, Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News teaches you how to identify this kind of shady language yourself, using real examples from the news. Check it out and be smarter! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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The reflecting pool is blue: The Big Lie (UnSpun Rewind)

If you repeat a lie enough, people may start to believe it. This idea of the big lie has been around for a while, but the last 8 years it has been so bad that fact checkers had to create a whole new rating level for how bad the lying is. Dr. Sturg breaks down the history of the big lie and shows how surrogates and supporters help to spread it. In the interview, author and professor Dr. Jen Mercieca breaks down Texas politics, explains how dead Greeks have a lot to say about productive communication, and how fraught the present moment is in politics and democracy. Follow Dr. Jen Mercia Twitter (X): @jenmercieca Resolute Square Check out Demagogue For President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump Follow Dr. Sturg Twitter -Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) / X Websites -Sturg says|Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Why do conservatives think the media hates them? UnSpun Journal Club

Why is your grandma convinced that the news thinks she's mean or ignorant? In this week's episode of the UnSpun journal club, DrSturg looks at a study on folk theories of media bias. For the respondents in this story, bias was about more than just acts. facts. It was about representation, language, identity and whether people felt like journalists welcomed their perspectives. And the study gives advice on how to talk about the news to people who think the news is out to get them. Here is the original paper. DrSturg's book, Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News is on sale! It also teaches you how to identify this kind of shady language yourself, using real examples from the news. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Is media bias getting worse: Are politicians right?

Is the media actually biased? Or do we just think it is? In this episode of UnSpun, DrSturg examines decades of research on media bias, political polarization, cable news and the psychology of news consumption. From Fox News and CNN to newspapers, social media and more, she explores what researchers have found about bias in news coverage and how people on opposite sides of an issue can see the same story completely differently. Do the politicians yelling #FakeNews have a point? Find out in this week's UnSpun. **Check out DrSturg on Bluesky **DrSturg wrote a book that makes YOU smarter about the news with information and exercises taken from real news stories. Find it here: https://amzn.to/3CLyvGr Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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How to say nasty things while staying popular: UnSpun Journal Club

This week's paper, from Sweden, answers an important question: when politicians dogwhistle racism, can it make them MORE popular? In this episode, DrSturg breaks down clearly what a dog whistle is and the clever way this paper studied the matter. She ends with advice on what YOU can do to not fall victim and a message for journalists. Here is the original paper. DrSturg's book, Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News is on sale! It also teaches you how to identify this kind of shady language yourself, using real examples from the news. Here are three places you can find directories of dogwhistles: American Jewish Committee Anti-Defamation League Southern Poverty Law Center Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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News Consolidation is Bad for Audiences

This week is Stephen Colbert’s final on CBS, and it's part of a larger story behind modern media: consolidation. When a few companies own more of the places you get information, it affects how much corruption there is, how much you know about yourself and your neighbors and the fabric of society itself. So much of the information we get now feels overwhelming but strangely thin. You'll learn why, as well as how local journalism was never just content. It was civic infrastructure. Today's Front Pages Gallery mentioned in the episode. Check out Dr. Sturg's book that teaches you how to tell when newsmakers are trying to deceive you. Follow Dr. Sturg on Bluesky. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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How AI Swarms Could Make Social Media Intolerable | UnSpun Journal Club

In this UnSpun Journal Club episode, Dr Sturg looks at a recent paper on what malicious AI swarms could mean for democracy, public debate, and social media itself. They could borrow from the older playbook of harassment and sealioning, made worse as agentic AI systems can imitate people, flood conversations, and manufacture the appearance of consensus. The question is not just whether AI can generate convincing content. It is whether it can reshape what people think is real. Find the paper here. Check out Dr. Sturg's book with tips on how you can spot fake news. Follow Dr. Sturg on Bluesky Find short videos on detecting deception from Dr. Sturg Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Is it bad for blllionaires to control the news? Unspun Rewind

What happens when a handful of very wealthy control what gets reported and how/ In this UnSpun rewind, we look at the role of the press in an oligarchy—a system where power is concentrated in the hands of a few. From media ownership by figures like Jeff Bezos and David Ellison to global examples like Venezuela and Russia, this episode explores how information can be shaped or even suppressed. You’ll learn how partisan media ecosystems create entirely different realities, why journalists face increasing pressure and risk, and what happens when regulation,and even truth itself are influenced by elite power. We also look at what everyday can do to push back. Because when information is controlled, so are you. . Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Why the News Feels So Overwhelming (And What It’s Doing to You

In this episode of UnSpun, learn the hidden manipulation behind the news. From TV journalism of the '80s, with “if it bleeds, it leads,” to today’s algorithm-driven outrage, news has evolved into a system designed to capture attention. I walk through the research on clickbait and emotional manipulation to explain how it shapes not what you believe and how you act. Topics include: The psychology of clickbait and the “curiosity gap.” Why outrage spreads faster than information How fear and anger drive engagement The illusion of knowledge in modern media What sensationalism does to democracy Practical ways to take back control of your information diet Stay sharp, truth seekers! Follow DrSturg on Bluesky Check out DrSturg's book that teaches YOU how to get played less by the media for less than $25. Episode art by Mike Licht. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Do social media algorithms change your mind? - Unspun Journal Club

Do social media algorithms actually change what you believe? In this episode of UnSpun, we break down new research from on the political effects of X’s feed algorithm. Using a real-world experiment with X users, the study tests what happens when people switch between chronological and algorithmic feeds. We also examine the legacy of Cambridge Analytica and the broader concerns about filter bubbles, misinformation,and algorithmic influence. It's more complicated than the headlines suggest. Algorithms may not change your identity—but they can shape what you see, who you follow, and how you interpret the world. More about the paper here. Check out Dr. Sturg's book that teaches you how to identify double-talking politicians. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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