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Depolarization in the age of misinformation

Depolarization in the Age of Misinformation | Jonathan Rauch, David Blankenhorn & Ciaran O'Connor

Braver Angels has never been shy about engaging our nation’s most sensitive political issues. Last year, we held a public debate on the 2020 election exploring themes of voter fraud, voter suppression, and disagreements about the outcome. Recently, we hosted a podcast with a guest who claimed that the January 6th riots were incited by liberal activists working in collusion with the FBI.

After initially taking down the podcast for violating its terms on misinformation, YouTube reinstated the episode after reviewing it in the context of our larger mission. On this episode of the podcast, Ciaran O’Connor hosts David Blankenhorn, president of Braver Angels, and Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of Knowledge, for a wide-ranging discussion on depolarization in the age of misinformation, bridge-building across the epistemological divide, and the Braver Angels approach to controversial content.

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Did Trump Play a Role in Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Getting Canceled?

Stephen Colbert is seen arriving to "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" at Ed Sullivan Theater on June 11, 2024 in New York City.

(Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

Did Trump Play a Role in Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Getting Canceled?

The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has sparked a firestorm of speculation, especially given the timing: it came just three days after Colbert publicly criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount, for settling a defamation lawsuit with Donald Trump for $16 million.

During his July 14 monologue, Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe”, expressing deep disappointment in his network. He said, “I don’t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company. But just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help”.

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AI Progress Delayed Is Progress Denied
Students in a college classroom.
Getty Images, Klaus Vedfelt

AI Progress Delayed Is Progress Denied

Earlier this summer, I recorded an episode of the Scaling Laws podcast with MacKenzie Price, founder of Alpha Schools—schools “where kids crush academics in two hours, build life skills through workshops, and thrive beyond the classroom.” The secret is AI, but likely not the sort of AI that comes to mind.

Students at Alpha Schools work with “adaptive AI” that allows 1:1 learning at the pace necessary to master a subject, moving at the speed of the student’s learning rather than that of the entire class. By relying on AI to set that tempo, the school shaves hours off the traditional classroom model and reallocates that time to activities that allow students to more fully explore their interests, from horseback riding to documentary filmmaking.

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The Misinformation We’re Missing: Why Real Videos Can Be More Dangerous Than Fake Ones

Many assume misinformation requires special effects or technical sophistication. In reality, much of it requires only timing, intent, and a caption.

Getty Images, d3sign

The Misinformation We’re Missing: Why Real Videos Can Be More Dangerous Than Fake Ones

Recently, videos circulated online that appeared to show Los Angeles engulfed in chaos: Marines clashing with protesters, cars ablaze, pallets of bricks staged for violence. The implication was clear, the city had been overtaken by insurrectionists.

The reality was far more contained. Much of the footage was either old, unrelated, or entirely misrepresented. A photo from a Malaysian construction site became “evidence” of a Soros-backed plot. Even a years-old video of burning police cars resurfaced with a new, false label.

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Activism in Free Press
The vital link between a healthy press and our republic
Getty Images

Activism in Free Press

“Media and technology are essential to our democracy” is the first statement that appears on Free Press’ website, a suitable introduction to an organization dedicated to reshaping the media landscape. Founded in 2003, Free Press was established to empower people to have a voice in the powerful decisions that shape how media and technology operate in society. Over the years, the media industry has undergone dramatic shifts, with corporate consolidation swallowing up local TV stations, radio outlets, and newspapers. This has led to a decline in independent journalism, resulting in the loss of numerous jobs for reporters, editors, and producers across the country.

Due to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a piece of legislation that allows anyone to enter the communications business, it was up to Free Press to closely monitor decisions shaping the media landscape when people’s right to connect and communicate is in danger.

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