S2 EP1: How Misinformation Spreads

What (and who) can we trust in an unbelievable world?

Season Two of ZigZag tackles Trust and Information on multiple levels: from co-founders, to new technology, and beyond. Episodes drop every Thursday. 

Manoush and Jen kick off the season with surprising new research from the Knight Foundation into how false information spreads on Twitter and its effect on society. They also have news about Civil, the blockchain startup for journalism, which is struggling to sell $8m worth of its cryptocurrency. With only days left in the token sale, techie journalist (and former WNYC colleague) John Keefe joins the duo to share his experience buying CVL tokens and where he thinks the startup went wrong.

GO DEEPER:

The Knight Foundation’s report Disinformation, ‘Fake News,’ and Influence Campaigns on Twitter. Here are the Civil token sale stats. Forbes announced it will publish on Civil. Coincidentally (really), Jen and Manoush were profiled in Forbes. John Keefe went through 44 steps to buy CVL tokens. The links between trust, media, and democracy. Can The Trust Project standardize a seal of ethical journalism?

ILLUSTRATION:

Every episode this season will include a corresponding data visualization by Giorgia Lupi of Accurat. The drawing above analyzes Manoush's interview with Dr. Matt Hindman. Below is the key…

CREDITS:

David Herman, Audio Engineer and Composer

Dan Dzula, Audio Engineer

Sarah Kerson, production support

ZigZag comes from Stable Genius Productions, in partnership with Civil. We are proud members of Radiotopia, from PRX.

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