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
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    -411 months ago

    The same power dynamic balance is in play in both situations. Just admit it

    • @StorminNorman@lemmy.world
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      211 months ago

      Nope. Completely different. I’ve given you facts that support this. I suggest you do the same. Hell, I’ll give you more. A boss who is in any kind of sexual relationship with a subordinate has way more power than they would over a subordinate who they were not having a relationship with (which does imply there is a power dynamic in play in all instances involving a boss and their employees. But that’s not what you said. You said it was “the same”). And this can be proven by the multitude of cases where those bosses who’ve coerced their employees to have sex with them and then been charged. Like I said, literally 0 businesses have been punished for firing employees who didn’t get the vaccine (and I’ve already told you why this is, because being fired for a safety related offence is just cause).

      Also, if you are set in your belief that it isn’t rape, why would you think that there is the same power imbalance? As far as your concerned, it’s not even rape, so how could there be a power imbalance? And you’re just gonna ignore the article that shows that vaccines slowed the transmission of COVID? That has a bunch of scientific studies referenced throughout? You are picking and choosing what you reply to, and trying to use that to seem smart. You’re not, you couldn’t argue your way out of a wet paper bag. Hell, I’ve seen 5yos make more convincing cases for an extra serve of icecream after dinner than you are making here…

      • @freeindv
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        -311 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
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          311 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.

          • @freeindv
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            -311 months ago

            People were forced to get the shot

            • @StorminNorman@lemmy.world
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              311 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…

              • @freeindv
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                -311 months ago

                So was she. So no rape, right?

                • @StorminNorman@lemmy.world
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                  411 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.

                  • @freeindv
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                    -311 months ago

                    Neither could the other employee. They were both forced. Use your brain