Stan & Toba Kaplowitz Distinguished Lecture Series

Misunderstanding the Harms of Online Misinformation 

Misperceptions threaten to warp mass opinion and public policy on controversial issues in politics, science, and health, but we should beware data-free claims and moral panics. This talk reviews the evidence on several widely held myths about misinformation: that most Americans are in online echo chambers, that false news and extreme content are widely consumed, that social media causes widespread harms, and that fact-checks usually backfire. In each case, the conventional wisdom misunderstands the problem in ways that could undermine efforts to effectively address it. 

Pre-registration is required. 

Register Today: College of Social Science - 2026.09.30 | Kaplowitz Lecture Series – Registrant