Unspun

Latest Episodes:

Are independent journalists doing a better job? Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Newsrooms are shrinking and experienced reporters are getting pushed onto Substack or into freelance work.

Does it change the news you receive when journalism moves from institutions to individuals?

In this episode of UnSpun, DrSturg looks at the complicated trade-offs that come with at the rise of freelance and independent journalism. From Washington Post layoffs to Substack newsletters, and from Don Lemon’s arrest to Nick Shirley's video about Minnesota daycares, we she considers how ethics, accountability, legal protection, and financial pressure change when journalists work alone.

Independence can mean freedom, but it can also mean exposure.

This episode breaks down research from multiple countries on how unstable working conditions shape the type of information produced — and what that means for you, as you get your news. .

If you care about media literacy, press freedom, journalism ethics, misinformation, or the future of news, this conversation matters.

Check out DrSturg's book, Detection Deception: Tools to fight fake news. Link takes you to independent bookstores, but the big guys have it, too. And find her on Bluesky and Instagram.

Episode photo: by Bickanski on Pixnio

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How social media markets reward fake news; UnSpun Journal Club 2 Feb 10, 2026

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Why don't fact checks stop fake news from spreading?

In this episode of UnSpun Journal Club, I break down research by Carlos Diaz Ruiz from the Hanken School of Economics that argues disinformation spreads not just because people believe it, but because digital media markets reward it.

We look at how attention turns into money. How platforms, advertisers, and influencers all benefit when content spreads fast—whether it’s true or not. From Macedonian fake news sites during the 2016 U.S. election to modern social media algorithms, this episode explains the problem when disinformation pays.

We also explore the role of the First Amendment, global platforms like X, and why regulating misinformation is harder than it sounds—especially when U.S. tech companies operate across borders.

Find Dr. Ruiz's paper here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448231207644

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How Ideas Go From Unthinkable to Obvious (And Why Politicians Follow) Feb 03, 2026

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Political change doesn't start with politics. Evidence suggests something else happens first.

In this episode of UnSpun, we look at how media attention, repetition, and trust quietly shape what ideas feel acceptable long before policy is written. And news events like shooting protesters in Minneapolis can get liberals talking about gun rights and conservatives advocating for the right to protest a republican government.

Using real research and real-world examples,, explore how

• Media environments shape what politicians think voters want

• Repetition turns controversial ideas into “common sense”

• Attacking the press weakens accountability

• Social pressure locks new norms into place

This episode isn’t about telling you what to think.

It’s about helping you notice how the conversation itself gets shaped.

Stay sharp.

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The moral side of misinformation: UnSpun journal club Jan 27, 2026

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Most efforts to stop misinformation focus on helping people recognize what’s wrong. But new research suggests that knowledge isn’t always the problem. Sometimes people share misinformation on purpose—because it feels useful, political, or appealing.

This editon of UnSpun journal club breaks down Moral Deliberation Reduces People’s Intentions to Share Headlines They Recognize as “Fake News” by Daniel A. Effron Judy Qiu, Deborah Shulman

These authors report on a reason why people might sometimes share information they know isn't true and found a way to discourage it.

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Why Social Media Makes You Feel Informed (Even When You’re Not) Jan 15, 2026

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ou probably don’t go looking for the news anymore.

It finds you.

A post. A clip. A friend’s reaction. A meme that feels like a headline. Before you’ve read a single article, you already have an opinion.

In this episode of UnSpun, look at how social media has quietly changed what news feels like — and what that change does to trust and understanding. Drawing on recent research, we explore why feeds can make us feel informed without giving us context, why trust shifts from institutions to individuals, and why following real journalism on social platforms can actually make a difference.

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"Don't tell me what to think" : Why we push back against truth Nov 18, 2025

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Why do people reject information meant to help them?

In this episode of UnSpun, we explore psychological reactance — the instinct to resist control — and how it shapes our reactions to fact-checks, corrections, and even each other. From COVID-19 warning labels to social-media fatigue and holiday-table arguments, DrSturg traces how the need for freedom can make truth feel like pressure. And she offers a better way to get people to stop rejecting facts.

Topics covered:

– What psychological reactance is

– How social media architecture amplifies defiance

– Why corrections often backfire

– How to talk to friends or family who reject facts

– The emotional balance between truth and autonomy

#Reactance #Misinformation #MediaLiteracy #UnSpunPodcast #SocialMediaPsychology

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Invisible weapons: How media makes you a casualty in a hybrid war Nov 05, 2025

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In today’s wars, the battlefield is more than land, sea, or air—it’s information.

This episode of UnSpun examines how media has become both a weapon and a target in the age of hybrid warfare. From Russian deepfakes in Ukraine to meme wars in U.S. politics, information has become the terrain where global power is contested.

Learn how disinformation systems are built, how governments—both authoritarian and democratic—deploy them, and how ordinary citizens can defend themselves.

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From Knitting Codes to Encrypted Chats: The Evolution of Resistance Communication Oct 21, 2025

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In this episode of UnSpun, we trace the invisible architecture that keeps truth alive when communication is forbidden.

From Phyllis Latour Doyle’s coded knitting in Nazi-occupied France to encrypted mesh networks during Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, “The Geometry of Trust” reveals how humans build secret systems of meaning under surveillance.

This episode explores how communication itself becomes resistance when power demands silence.

🔗 Check my book on the #AltGov resistance movement here: https://amzn.to/4qDapCv🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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Is nationalism the new religion? Oct 07, 2025

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In this episode of UnSpun, we examine a phenomenon hiding in plain sight — the rise of civil religion. From stadium memorials that look like worship services to presidents who sound like preachers, faith and politics have fused into something new — and dangerous. We trace how America’s patriotic rituals became sacred texts, how global leaders have learned the same language, and what happens when dissent becomes heresy.

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Who Decides What Counts as Hate Speech? From Henry Ford to Late Night TV Sep 23, 2025

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What exactly is “hate speech”—and who gets to decide?

This episode of UnSpun traces the shifting definitions of hate speech across a century of mass media. From Henry Ford’s antisemitic newspaper in the 1920s to Father Coughlin’s radio sermons, from Rwanda’s radio-fueled genocide to Roseanne Barr’s infamous tweet, Don Imus’s firing, and the recent suspensions of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert—we follow how governments, corporations, and audiences have drawn, erased, and redrawn the boundaries of speech.

Along the way, we uncover how U.S. free speech law differs from Europe’s, how the Chans incubated extremist movements, how YouTube’s “adpocalypse” reshaped platform rules, and how the FCC’s regulatory power still influences what voices we hear.

👉 Subscribe for more episodes exploring the forces that shape public perception, journalism, and democracy.

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