Who Killed Trust? And What Can We Do About It? The Center for Media Engagement at UT Austin's Talia Stroud

Jan 16 2024 • 39 mins

A lot of people, Eric included, are working to figure out what exactly happened to facts, trust in institutions like science and the news, and to the shared reality we used to enjoy in this country. There is no shortage of research about the depth of the problem but very little about what really might reverse it. Which is where today’s guest comes in.

Talia Stroud is the director of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas. More than 10 years ago, she was one of the first to document how Americans were retreating to news that confirmed their pre-existing beliefs—now well known as the filter bubble phenomenon—and she has since gone on to bust popular myths about social media and to research practical actions that journalists can take to re-engage with audiences. Talia and I talk about recent medical misinformation emanating from, of all people, the surgeon general of Florida; about how newsrooms inadvertently feed polarization; about bringing audiences and newsrooms closer together; and why a popular silver bullet solution to algorithmic polarization won’t work.

Please reach out to let Eric know your thoughts on the episode at eric@alliancefortrust.com

Topics

02:00
The Impact of Media on Democracy

03:11
The Challenge of Media Polarization

05:30
The Influence of Social Media Algorithms

08:28
Research Collaboration with Meta

11:29
The Effectiveness of Algorithm Changes

15:16
Promoting Civil Conversations on Social Media

19:16
The Role of Professional Journalism

24:41
The Business Model of News Organizations

29:55
Rebuilding Trust in Journalism

34:36
Understanding Election Misinformation

This episode was produced by Sound Sapien
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