Joan Donovan

Mis- and disinformation researcher Joan Donovan discusses the line between gossip and conspiracy, while the hosts explore swimming in monocultural event discourse. Also, C-SPAN's earliest internet memories are shared in this thought-provoking and engaging episode.

Jordan Klepper has heard a lot of 9/11 conspiracy theories at Trump rallies, including this shiny emerald: Osama bin Laden was a CIA operative named Tim Ossman. Together with Dr. Joan Donovan, research director of Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Jordan unpacks how the early days of the internet and social media have shaped 9/11 conspiracy theories that are still popping up in more places than rallies two decades later. They are joined by veteran and filmmaker Korey Rowe who co-produced “Loose Change,” one of the first viral conspiracy theory films on 9/11. They discuss the legacy of the film, how the right wing has weaponized conspiracy theories for political gain, and what conversations we should be having about the role of the media.  Jordan Klepper Fingers The Conspiracy is a podcast from The Daily Show. Check out more episodes wherever you get your podcasts or YouTube.com/TheDailyShowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mis- and disinformation researcher Joan Donovan discusses the line between gossip and conspiracy. The hosts explore monocultural event discourse and C-SPAN's early internet memories. Topics include human empathy online, speculative discourse, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and the democratization of information online.