Attacked by conservatives, UW misinformation researcher gears up for 2024

Kate Starbird, director and co-founder of the UW Center for an Informed Public, has become a target of the internet misinformation spreaders she studies. Despite an array of attacks, she says the center will continue its work combating mis- and disinformation. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times)

The Seattle Times
In a small meeting room on the University of Washington campus, researcher Kate Starbird stood at a glass whiteboard as she brainstormed with two doctoral students how to dissect information posted to the politicized, hyperbolic and often wildly speculative free-for-all that is social media.

To create research papers that show how misinformation spreads, they took an academic, even nerdy approach. They talked about devising coding systems for posts that represent “collective sense-making” and “deep stories” (narratives that feel true, even if they’re not).

Starbird, a former professional basketball player with an even-keeled demeanor, showed little hint she’s at the center of the kind of internet swirl she studies — or that her attempt to promote factual information and strengthen democracy has gotten her sued, blasted by congressional inquiries and subjected to a death threat. MORE