Unchecked: The architecture of disinformation Episode 3: Disinformation and vaccines with Dr. Adam Ratner
SYNOPSIS
Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Adam Ratner, author of the new book Booster Shots, about the misinformation he encounters as a pediatric infectious disease specialist. We discuss the distinctions between vaccine hesitancy and being anti-vax, and how misinformation has an impact beyond individual healthcare. Dan uses the discussion to highlight a new “lens” called double-tagging, and Rachel is inspired to establish the lens “frenzy.”
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STORIES OF DISINFORMATION
The Fifth Column
Rachel describes how the US used the fictional threat of a “fifth column” to bolster their argument for Japanese internment camps.
- A Brief History of Japanese American Relocation During World War II (National Park Service)
- How a Public Media Campaign Led to Japanese Incarceration during WWII (GBH - American Experience)
- Of Spies and G-Men: How the U.S. Government Turned Japanese Americans into Enemies of the State (densho.org)
Reciprocal Tariffs
Dan highlights some of the more subtle and insidious misinformation about Trump’s tariffs.
- Trade deficits and truth deficits (Julian Sanchez)
- PBS interview of Justin Wolfers
- Jake Tapper interview of Ag secretary Rollins
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INTERVIEW WITH DR ADAM RATNER
- Dr. Adam Ratner
- Adam’s book: Booster Shots: The Urgent Lesson of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children’s Health
- 2019 measles outbreak in New York City (New England Journal of Medicine)
- Brooklyn measles outbreak: How a glossy booklet spread anti-vaccine messages in Orthodox Jewish communities (NBC News)
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LENSES
Double-tagging
Seemingly innocuous labels can be turned into misinformation by applying them in a way that is technically accurate, but twists the meaning of the label. Tagging anti-vax information with the label “vaccines” is misleading, and undermines the integrity of the system.
- How might tags and classification schemes be co-opted to threaten the system’s integrity?
- How does the system’s classification scheme adapt to deal with neutral terms that have become loaded?
Frenzy
Information systems have a responsibility to help users understand what’s truly important and/or urgent. Systems must avoid contributing to the frenzy of information.
- How does the system help participants prioritize without causing a fre
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Personnel
- Dan Brown, Host
- Rachel Price, Host
- Emily Duncan, Editor
Music
- Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot
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Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid
Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design