Kate Starbird
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katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird
@katestarbird.bsky.social
89K followers 2.9K following 4.1K posts

Researcher of online rumors & disinformation. Former basketball player. Prof at University of Washington, HCDE. Co-founder of the UW Center for an Informed Public. Personal account: Views may not reflect those of my employer. #RageAgainstTheBullshitMachine .. more

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Catherine Evelyn Starbird is an American computer scientist and former women's professional basketball player.

Source: Wikipedia
Communication & Media Studies 30%
Sociology 18%
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katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Mar 27
On Feb 24, I gave a lecture at UW explaining what my team's decade-plus research on online rumors during crises reveals about the right wing "bullshit machine." Fittingly, a lightning strike impacted the original audio. Here's a fixed version w/ the full transcript: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjiG...
A Spotlight on Rumors
YouTube video by UW (University of Washington)
www.youtube.com

Reposted by Tom Clark, John Horgan, Laurent Pech , and 7 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6h
I did not understand this: one of the five Europeans the US has barred from traveling to the United States...is a permanent resident who lives with his family in the US.

Now he is worried about being arrested and deported for the crime of monitoring online hate.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Judge Blocks Detention of British Researcher Who Scrutinizes Online Hate
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Kate Starbird

fbajak.bsky.social
Frank Bajak @fbajak.bsky.social · 8h
“The federal government can’t deport a green card holder like Imran Ahmed, with a wife and young child who are American, simply because it doesn’t like what he has to say,” the British researcher’s lawyer said.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Judge Blocks Detention of British Researcher Who Scrutinizes Online Hate
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Kate Starbird

kristinalerman.bsky.social
Kristina Lerman @kristinalerman.bsky.social · 9h
I use the research by CCDH in my own work. This action by US government is shocking and unconstitutional. All researchers are in danger.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Judge Blocks Detention of British Researcher Who Scrutinizes Online Hate
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Nina Jankowicz, Rebecca Tushnet , and 2 more

annamerlan.bsky.social
Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 13h
Tenet Media founder Lauren Chen, who secretly took money from two people with ties to Russian state media to involve conservative influencers in an unwitting propaganda scheme, is back in the US after being deported to Canada under President Biden. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
bsky.app/profile/kate...
katestarbird.bsky.social Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Former head of trust and safety at Twitter, Yoel Roth, demonstrating the intellectual dishonesty of “In Covid’s Wake” by showing how they distorted his own words to make them say the opposite of what he was arguing.
yoyoel.com Yoel Roth @yoyoel.com · 1d
A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty:

My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.

Huh? When did I say that?!

Reposted by Elizabeth Stokoe, Timothy Graham

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Former head of trust and safety at Twitter, Yoel Roth, demonstrating the intellectual dishonesty of “In Covid’s Wake” by showing how they distorted his own words to make them say the opposite of what he was arguing.
yoyoel.com Yoel Roth @yoyoel.com · 1d
A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty:

My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.

Huh? When did I say that?!

Reposted by Kate Starbird, Richard M. Carpiano, Dan Immergluck

yoyoel.com
Yoel Roth @yoyoel.com · 1d
There’s a lesson here about writing in the age of weaponized lies: Always precede false claims with giant red text, ideally wrapped in a <blink> tag, that says “THIS IS A LIE I AM REFUTING!!”

But also, why is a book that makes this kind of lazy, bad-faith argumentation getting any accolades at all?

Reposted by Kate Starbird, Richard M. Carpiano, Nathan P. Kalmoe , and 1 more

yoyoel.com
Yoel Roth @yoyoel.com · 1d
And yet, In Covid’s Wake quotes me as saying that “the FBI went beyond strategic information sharing and made direct moderation demands” — literally the opposite of what I argue — to buttress their claim that the government was too busy censoring speech to adequately deal with the pandemic.

Reposted by Nina Jankowicz, Lisa W. Fazio, Stephan Lewandowsky , and 20 more

yoyoel.com
Yoel Roth @yoyoel.com · 1d
A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty:

My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.

Huh? When did I say that?!
A passage from the book In Covid’s Wake, with a highlighted sentence reading: “Yoel Roth, the former head of trust and safety at Twitter, states that "the FBI went beyond strategic information sharing and made direct moderation demands," including demands involving domestic speech.”

Reposted by Raúl Pacheco-Vega

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Behind the scenes of the U.S. government’s anti-immigrant propaganda machine.

Reposted by Melissa Johnson, Kate Starbird, Olivier Mannoni

kylegriffin1.bsky.social
Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 1d
Axios has learned the White House has begun managing the DOJ's account on X to respond to posts highlighting mentions of Trump in the Epstein files.

In typical administrations, there is a wall between the White House and what is supposed to be an independent Justice Department.
Scoop: Trump administration expects Epstein files release could last another week
The White House has begun managing the DOJ's account on X, an effort to finish out the year and the Epstein file disclosure requirements set by Congress.
www.axios.com

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Isn't this demand by Miller far worse than anything alleged in Murthy v. Missouri (the GOP's failed lawsuit against the Biden administration for allegedly pressuring social media companies to address lies about Covid vaccines)?

Reposted by Alan Richardson

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Having encountered little resistance here in the U.S., the Trump regime is now weaponizing the “censorship” narrative globally, for example by rescinding travel visas for people at organizations combating hate speech in Europe.

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
From 2022-2024, the right trolled, threatened, ran hit pieces on partisan media, filed lawsuits, & launched congressional investigations against researchers as they spun a conspiracy theory about a “censorship industrial complex”. Now they are weaponizing that narrative w/ the power of the U.S. gov.

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
After Jan 6, the U.S. far right had to find a frame that could distract and shift blame from their election fraud lies. They settled on “censorship” — which made their lying villains into “free speech” heroes, and allowed them to target all of the people and orgs that tried to hold them to account.
katestarbird.bsky.social Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
Nina Jankowicz: “They’re not doing this because they have any evidence of censorship — they lost a Supreme Court case that made those claims… They’re doing this because the group of researchers and advocates have stood up to liars like Donald Trump and the platforms that enable them.”

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Joe R. Feagin , and 8 more

ryanjreilly.com
Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com · 1d
“I’m 84 years old. Threats against my life expectancy are kind of hollow. I don’t have much time anyway. I’m more concerned that our democracy is at risk because of the trends against the rule of law.” www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment and threats have changed their lives
More than 100 pizzas were delivered to the homes of judges and their families this year, some with signs of foreign involvement. Judges say the message is clear: We know where you live.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Nathan P. Kalmoe

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
In this latest round of troubling and targeted attacks on anyone who would stand in the way of their propaganda machinery, the Trump admin is rescinding US travel visas (and threatening worse) for Europeans who have worked on the digital services act and/or worked to address hate speech.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Nathan P. Kalmoe

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
Big social media platforms have become wired to spread bullshit. The people and organizations who worked to understand why, called out the bullshitters, and tried to push for platform changes to counteract manipulation and address harmful misinformation… have been silenced by an admin powered by bs.

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Arthur Geßler, John Horgan , and 4 more

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
Nina Jankowicz: “They’re not doing this because they have any evidence of censorship — they lost a Supreme Court case that made those claims… They’re doing this because the group of researchers and advocates have stood up to liars like Donald Trump and the platforms that enable them.”

Reposted by Olivier Klein, Kate Starbird

notaaroncraig.bsky.social
Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 2d
“Chilling and unconstitutional” — @attorneynora.bsky.social @freepress.bsky.social
U.S. Bars 5 European Tech Regulators and Researchers
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers , and 8 more

marietjeschaake.bsky.social
Marietje Schaake @marietjeschaake.bsky.social · 2d
In a major escalation against the EU, alongside civil society representatives the Trump Administration sanctions former Commissioner Breton for work he did in official capacity ↘️ www.state.gov/releases/off...
Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship-Industrial Complex - United States Department of State
The State Department is taking decisive action against five individuals who have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose....
www.state.gov

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 11 more

adamserwer.bsky.social
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 2d
The “free speech” and “cancel culture” panics have led to overt state censorship because that was always their purpose. (Gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so easily into today’s pro-Trump censors is that their definition of free speech never included the right of others to talk back. They were not defending a universal right to freedom of speech; they were defending a right to monologue. They could say what they want, and you could shut up and like it. The cynicism of the effort can be known by its fruits: an administration that issues executive orders “protecting” free speech while engaging in the most sweeping campaign of state censorship since the Red Scare.

Reposted by Kate Starbird

mikaelthalen.bsky.social
Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 2d
The Washington Post obtained thousands of private chat messages from the ICE public affairs team tasked by the White House with creating viral raid videos for social media.

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i... via @drewharwell.com
‘It’s a war’: Inside ICE’s media machine
Thousands of internal ICE messages show how its public affairs team has coordinated with the White House to satisfy Trump administration demands for viral arrest videos
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Robert C. Richards, Els Torreele , and 1 more

kakape.bsky.social
Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 2d
"It is going to get so much worse."
For the first of two end-of-the-year episodes of @pandemia.bsky.social, I talked to @drdemetre.bsky.social about what happened in 2025 at the CDC and how he thinks about the future of vaccines and public health in the US.
A quick 🧪🧵
Impfen | Es wird noch viel schlimmer werden
Podcast Episode · Pandemia · 22/12/2025 · 40m
podcasts.apple.com

Reposted by Kate Starbird, David Darmofal

brandyzadrozny.bsky.social
Brandy Zadrozny @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social · 3d
RFK Jr's wife Cheryl Hines is the star guest for an "exclusive" interview with anti-vaccine group, Children's Health Defense's morning show, just after their segment denying measles injury and deaths.

Reposted by Nina Jankowicz, Steve Peers, Adrian Daub , and 5 more

mmasnick.bsky.social
Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 4d
Almost every story Weiss greenlit at the Free Press lacked sufficient context. It's kinda their entire schtick.
Ms. Weiss said in a statement late Sunday: “My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason — that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices — happens every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready.”

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Robert C. Richards, Kate Starbird , and 2 more

annabower.bsky.social
Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 4d
“When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of ‘gold standard’ reputation for a single week of political quiet.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
& Share full article In her note, Ms. Alfonsi said that her team had requested comment from the White House, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. "If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a 'kill switch' for any reporting they find inconvenient," Ms. Alfonsi wrote. "We have been promoting this story on social media for days," MS. Alfonsi added. "Our viewers are expecting it. When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of 'gold standard' reputation for a single week of political quiet." "I care too much about this broadcast to watch it be dismantled without a fight," she wrote.

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Kate Starbird, David Darmofal

brianstelter.bsky.social
Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 4d
Overwhelming amount of media world chatter and concern about "60 Minutes" tonight. Why would CBS News promote the story about the Trump admin's deportations to CECOT on Friday, only to shelve it today? Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi says it is "not an editorial decision, it is a political one."
60minutes.bsky.social 60 Minutes @60minutes.bsky.social · 4d
An Editor’s Note from 60 Minutes
The broadcast lineup for tonight’s edition of 60 Minutes has been updated. Our report “Inside CECOT” will air in a future broadcast.

Reposted by Sanford F. Schram, Daniel W. Drezner, Robert C. Richards , and 4 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 4d
The CBS reporter who led the story calls pulling it a "political" decision.
"The decision was made after Bari Weiss, the new editor in chief of CBS News, requested numerous changes to the segment."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
“Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” Ms. Alfonsi wrote in the note, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. “It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”

Reposted by David R. Miller, Kate Starbird, Richard Hardack , and 1 more

annabower.bsky.social
Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 4d
“The Free Press”

www.wsj.com/business/med...
CBS News pulled a planned "60 Minutes" segment on ar El Salvador maximum-security prison where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants, last-minute decision that drew a rebuke from one of its high-profile correspondents. Sharyn Alfonsi said in a Sunday email to fellow correspondents including Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley and Anderson Cooper that she learned Saturday that new CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss "spiked our story." Alfonsi said the last-minute change was, in her view, a political decision, rather than an editorial call, accordin to the email, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. "The 60 Minutes report on "Inside CECOT" will air in a future broadcast. We determined it needed additional reporting," a spokesperson for CBS News said in a statement. Over the course of this weekend, Weiss made the decision not to run the piece as planned, according to people familiar with the matter. "Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. is factually correct," Alfonsi wrote in the email. If the standard for airing a story became the government agreeing to be interviewed, she wrote, the network would cede editorial control. "We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state," Alfonsi wrote. CBS parent Paramount PSKY 0.31% A purchased