I have been awarded an NSF CAREER award, providing five years of funding to examine the consequences of online news and social media on political misperceptions. I’m joined in my efforts by a great team of graduate students, including Dustin Carnahand, Ben Johnson, Emily Lynch, Rebecca Riley, and Brian Weeks. More information about the project can be found here.
Author Archives: R. Kelly Garrett
Rumor research in the news
My research looking at email’s role in promoting belief in false political rumors has been in the news recently.
- E-Mail Beats Blogs and Web Sites for Rumor Mongering”, Christopher Intagliata, Scientific American’s 60-second science podcast, March 10, 2011, http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=email-beats-blogs-and-websites-for-11-03-10
- Biggest Source of Gossip Online? Your Email-Forwarding Friend”, Michelle Castillo, Time’s Techland blog, March 11, 2011, http://techland.time.com/2011/03/11/biggest-source-of-gossip-online-your-email-forwarding-friend/
- Misinformation is as Close as Your Inbox”, Tom Jacobs, Miller-McCune, March 3, 2011,http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/misinformation-is-as-close-as-your-in-box-28802/
- Research on rumor mongering cites Sarah Palin myths”, Doug O’Harra, Alaska Dispatch, March 10, 2011, http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/research-rumor-mongering-cites-sarah-palin-myths?page=full
- Radio interview with TBSeFM 1013 Main Street (Korea), March 15, 8:45am KST
Media coverage of Instant Messaging research
My work with Jim Danziger (University of California, Irvine) looking at the role of instant messaging (IM) in the workplace got some press. Among the more notable outlets to cover the story were theNY Times and Future Tense, a radio production of American Public Media carried on some NPR affiliates.
- “Keep It Short, Make It Instant,” Dan Mitchell, New York Times, “What’s online” section, June 7, 2008,http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/technology/07online.html
- “Instant messaging makes for more focused workers,” radio interview with Jon Gordon, Future Tense, American Public Media, July 16, 2008,http://www.publicradio.org/columns/futuretense/2008/06/11.shtml
Our research into personal Internet use during work was also picked up by the AP.
- “Study shatters myths on personal Net use at work,” Anick Jesdanun, AP wire,http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjNDn-_PJnkecSa5NBZ4xYebhScgD91CJUIG0
Selective exposure in the news
My first study to covered by the news media was conducted in collaboration with the Pew Internet and American Life Project (“The internet and democratic debate“). Since it’s release, the report has received national and international coverage. According to Google News, there were several hundred stories when it first came out and a few are still online.
- ABC News Online, “Study: Internet feeds political debates”,http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2004/story?id=203393
- BBC, “US voters ‘going online for news'”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3955569.stm
- Business Week, “Net Users Trawl for Differing Views”,http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041028_1993_db016.htm
Later coverage focused on how people think and talk about online news use more generally.
- Broken Engagement: America’s Civic Health Index: A report by the National Conference on Citizenship in association with CIRCLE and Saguaro Seminar, September 18, 2006 (see quote from Lee Rainie on page 24), http://www.ncoc.net/conferences/2006civichealth.pdf
- Time Magazine, “Around the Corner”, March 20, 2006
- LA Times, “Telling You What You Like”, September 20, 2005,http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/20/business/fi-preference20