Ullrich Ecker

Misinformation as strategy: Epistemic consequences and the undermining of shared truth Review by Ullrich Ecker (@ulliecker.bsky.social), Emily Spearing (@emilyspearing.bsky.social), Renee DiResta (@noupside.bsky.social), & Stephan Lewandowsky (@lewan.uk) tinyurl.com/yces8vpr

Very pleased to share this, out today - we highlight a shift in how misinformation is used not primarily to misinform, but to strategically influence public debate www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Evidence-oriented thinking enhances the effectiveness of science-based corrections www.nature.com/articles/s41... @ulliecker.bsky.social et al 🙏 "...for science to be an effective antidote to disinformation, individuals may first need a cognitive nudge toward an evidence-oriented mindset."

🧵 New report just dropped 🚨 "Fractured Reality: How Democracy Can Win the Global Struggle Over the Information Space" — from the EU Joint Research Centre, led by Mario Scharfbillig and I. A landmark read for anyone working on disinformation, platforms & democracy. 👇 1/10

Happy to share this new paper out in JARMAC today, led by the indefatigable @emilyspearing.bsky.social : Reducing the Belief-Boosting Impact of Misleading Graphs With Inoculation doi.org/10.1037/mac0...

Glad I was able to contribute to this report for the Office of the Chief Scientist's National Science and Technology Council, "Information resilience: A framework for misinformation interventions", led by Eryn Newman: www.chiefscientist.gov.au/sites/defaul...

Out now: You sure about that? The effects of textual and image-based skepticism on belief in dubious social-media claims doi.org/10.1186/s412... We tested if comments containing merely a skeptical 🤨 image reduce belief in dubious claims (they do). Led by the excellent @emilyspearing.bsky.social

Restrictive rules surrounding review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission are preventing the efficient identification of some miscarriages of justice, says a new study by Prof. @rebeccakhelm.bsky.social Dir of the Evidence-Based Justice Lab and Dr @emilyspearing.bsky.social tinyurl.com/mrp4hrf9

We know how to win hearts & minds in support of climate action, but we need to put much more effort into actually communicating the proven-effective messages. Folks, time's a wastin'. Let's get 'er done! @ashwinia.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social @ulliecker.bsky.social...

This is coming up and I thought I'd boost it again with the little test tube icon: 🧪

I hear a lot about misinformation as a "symptom" of "distrust". Here we test this & find that while trust is important, it doesn't buffer: misinfo isn't mitigated by high trust. Both misinfo & distrust *independently* predict vaccine denial. It's a disease of its own! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Having to go to some chatbot to get misinformation is such a waste of time. That's why we need to put this right in the browser so you can get your misinformation faster.

Published today: One of the biggest #science #communication studies to date. We asked 71,922 people in 68 countries how they #engage with information about #science and combined the data with several country-level factors: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #OpenAccess

Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored Quite proud of this paper, which just received the journal's APA Editor's Choice award 😊 Big thanks to my coauthors Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek, @profsanderlinden.bsky.social, John Cook, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, and @lewan.bsky.social

"Five tactics used by industry to undermine science. The disinformation playbook tactics are employed by industry during the scientific process and the science-based decision-making process" link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Honored to receive the Chancellor's Award for Research for this co-authored paper on the psychology of misinformation. It was really affirming to receive recognition for this research while the field is under attack and misinfo grants are being cancelled. 1/ www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Great ECR job opportunity on the project “A Unified Computational Model of How Humans Use Automated Advice”: external.jobs.uwa.edu.au/en/job/52075...

Happy to share our new research on AI-generated visual misinformation - we find that specific media literacy tips about AI images improve misinformation discernment over general tips about fake news. Feedback and comments welcome! doi.org/10.1186/s412... #psychsky #phdsky

AI summaries kill search traffic. This has been an obvious consequence of Google's AI summary strategy since its inception. Apparently the training data is so valuable that Google is willing to risk the neck of the goose that lays golden eggs. Screenshot: thebullshitmachines.com/lesson-9-blu...

A very important paper led by the phenomenal @lucy-h-butler.bsky.social Say it with me: Corrections. Of. Scientific. Misinformation. Are. Effective. @lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lkfazio.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @emilyspearing.bsky.social

🧵 THREAD: Why the Cato Institute’s new paper on “misinformation panic” is dangerously wrong, and why it completely misunderstands the real crisis we face. www.cato.org/policy-analy...

Very excited to see this out today - led by the fabulous @emilyspearing.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Hey Australia, let's stay out of this one, yeah?

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12

Thanks so much for a fabulous #sarmac2025, @ciaragreene.bsky.social @gillian-murphy.bsky.social! Many details made it such a joyess Irish-tinted celebration of the sarmac community. You're legends & we're immensely grateful ❤️ And I'm wildly proud of this lot too! (Thxs for putting up with me x)

Finally Mitch Dobbs on how correcting false claims can affect source credibility. Why do we see differences between politicians and doctors (corrections decrease trust in lying doctors but not politicians)? Possibly differences in initial trust. #sarmac2025 26/

Next is @ulliecker.bsky.social on misinformation spread in communication chains. Rather than look at transmission from one to many (eg social media), look at peer-to-peer transmission of misinformation corrections (game of telephone). #sarmac2025 21/

Next @emilyspearing.bsky.social on AI-generated misinformation, its influence and how to correct it. Expected more misinfo reliance in human and AI condition, inoculation would reduce beliefs, trust boost would increase belief and disclaimer would have no impact. #sarmac2025 24/

My latest column in Science went up yesterday doi.org/10.1126/scie... . I argue that “Knowledge is power”—or at least it was when Sir Francis Bacon coined this phrase in the 16th century. 1/n

Very pleased to be part of this next Wednesday at 11 am CET (10 am UK). Register here: www.socialchangelab.net/academicrepr... of possible interest to: @scibeh.bsky.social @karmaos.bsky.social @ulliecker.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @jagolinzer.bsky.social

Coming soon, a special issue of #JARMAC on #Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights, guest edited by Ulli Ecker. @apajournals.bsky.social

Anything that stands in the way of the right-wing bullshit/propaganda machine is under attack — from the universities to non-profits to the rare online platform that manages to maintain some semblance of information integrity.

Decades of research suggest that authoritarian leaders and their admirers consistently share one thing in common: they twist the truth! Our OP-ED in @time.com today about how to fight harmful misinformation! And the need to speak out against it. More speech, not less! 💪 time.com/7282640/how-...

Manly man BS continues to pollute politics, pop culture, and the wellness woo industry. This science-free "manosphere" noise can do real social, physical, and psychological harm. See our recent CBC documentary: gem.cbc.ca/harder-bette... streaming on @cbcgem.bsky.social

Honest people don’t lie. Or do they? Liars aren’t honest. Or are they? One puzzling conundrum in contemporary politics is that politicians who seem to be estranged from facts and evidence are nonetheless considered honest by their followers. 1/n

Please share! Call for Research Collaborators: Cross-Cultural Study on the Continued Influence of Misinformation We invite researchers to join The Continued Influence Effect of Misinformation Across Cultures (CINEMAC) Mega-Study. More details here: forms.gle/o7mEYtZxFzsM...

I wrote this paper with @ulliecker.bsky.social & @johnfocook.bsky.social in 2016 (published in 2017; Beyond Misinformation: Understanding and Coping with the “Post-Truth” Era). At the time I thought I was being dystopian. Now, not so much. At least I didn't self-censor then. doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...

IU's Observatory on Social Media defends citizens from online manipulation – the opposite of censorship osome.iu.edu/research/blo...