Following the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, University of Pennsylvania experts spoke to The Daily Pennsylvanian about the role of political violence in American life — both past and present — warning that misinformation and polarization are exacerbating the problem.
The Daily Pennsylvanian
Susan Monarez, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified last week that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to change recommendations for routine childhood vaccines without any credible scientific data.
NBC News
Following the death of Charlie Kirk, Northeastern University professor Laura Edelson discusses whether the spread of misinformation is an unavoidable feature of the internet or if something can be done to stop it.
CBS News
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, questioning whether Americans understand the difference between a king and a president, told a New York Law School crowd Tuesday that improved civic education across the country would help people make better decisions.
The Associated Press
In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, cybersecurity analysts have detected a rise in social media posts that not only spread misinformation about the killing but also look to enrage social media users during an already politically tense situation.
ABC News
Professor Scott Galloway of New York University speaks with Registered Dietician and nutrition research scientist Dr. Jessica Knurick about the rise of the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement.
The Prof. G Podcast
The United States has informed countries in Europe that it is stepping back from joint efforts to combat disinformation from countries such as Russia, China and Iran, according to three European officials familiar with the matter.
Financial Times
Every day, some 2 billion people around the world use privacy-protection tools supported by the Open Technology Fund. When people in China escape their government’s firewalls, they can access material written in their own languages and read stories they would otherwise never see.
The Atlantic
The rate at which chatbots are spreading false information doubled in the last year, according to a report that NewsGuard shared first for English-speaking readers with Axios. Since NewsGuard's last report in August 2024, AI makers have updated chatbots to respond to more prompts instead of declining to answer, and given them the ability to access the web.
AXIOS
As two scientists who lived through Australia’s black summer bushfires and the Covid-19 crisis in the United States, we have seen firsthand how science in modern societies is under siege from an even more insidious ‘antiscience virus’ of weaponized disinformation.
The Guardian
After exploring several options to legalize her stay in Mexico, Alicia, whose real name we are withholding for security reasons, received a call on her cell phone that seemed to bring her hope.
Factchequeado
President Trump campaigned on the promise to target immigrants with criminal convictions for deportation. New data shows his immigration crackdown has included thousands more people in the D.C. area who have no criminal charges.
NBC4 Washington
At a Sept. 4, 2025, hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced heated questions from numerous senators about his vaccine policies, including his stance on COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA vaccine technology generally.
The Conversation
A quote shared by that old high school friend which isn't quite accurate. A social media post with a photo taken out of context. Misinformation, and disinformation, comes for everybody. Yes, that means you, too. It can be difficult to develop the skills and habits strong enough to fend off the constant flood of bad information these days.
KUOW / National Public Radio Network
Japanese authorities have been in damage control mode for the last few days after widespread misinformation about a cultural exchange program sparked a public panic – reflecting the country’s conservative attitudes toward immigration and a recent rise in anti-foreigner sentiment.
CNN
For centuries, Iceland has tended to be off the world’s beaten path. It’s an island in the North Atlantic, home today to about 400,000 people. Its language is spoken in large numbers nowhere else. These factors, combined with higher standards of living and education attainment, tend to protect Icelanders from the tide of misinformation that has flooded other countries, including the U.S.
Poynter Institute
Mike Evans knew something had to change. As the lead instructor for American Government 101 at Georgia State University in 2021, Evans had watched his students over the years show up with fewer facts and more conspiracy theories. They arrive with bold, often misleading beliefs shaped by hours spent each day on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The Conversation
Javier Gallardo likes to start his morning watching a classical music programme on television - it is part of his routine, and puts him in the right mood for the day before going to work driving trucks. But one Monday in June, he turned on the television and, instead of music, the screen was filled with images of a warzone. A news report was playing on a channel he had never heard of.
BBC
Misinformation and disinformation in healthcare has the potential to threaten patient safety by spreading falsehoods that impact decision-making. It also undermines the physician-patient relationship, making it harder for physicians to provide effective, trusted care.
The Physicians Foundation
More than 750 current and former staff members of HHS are calling on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop ‘spreading inaccurate health information’ and do more to protect public health professionals in the wake of a shooting at the headquarters of the CDC in Atlanta earlier this month.
The Hill
