Asheley Landrum
@asheley.bsky.social
Assoc Professor of Media Psychology & Science Communication @ Walter Cronkite School @ Arizona State University #scicomm #mediaLiteracy #mediapsych #trust
www.asheleylandrum.com
www.asheleylandrum.com
“Conspiracy theories…can be understood as the political equivalent of dark-matter theories. They emerge in situations where some movement or action seems unlikely or bizarre unless you can posit some unseen element in the story, some hidden force exerting influence.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/o...
Opinion | Conspiracies Are Real. The Theories Can Be Traps.
www.nytimes.com
August 2, 2025 at 10:57 PM
“Conspiracy theories…can be understood as the political equivalent of dark-matter theories. They emerge in situations where some movement or action seems unlikely or bizarre unless you can posit some unseen element in the story, some hidden force exerting influence.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/o...
“After a brief dalliance with literacy, humanity is returning to its oral roots.”
apple.news/AWWQ7HSErTTi...
apple.news/AWWQ7HSErTTi...
Is the decline of reading poisoning our politics? — Vox
It could come by the end of this sentence or, on a good day, the fifth paragraph.
apple.news
June 21, 2025 at 3:00 AM
“After a brief dalliance with literacy, humanity is returning to its oral roots.”
apple.news/AWWQ7HSErTTi...
apple.news/AWWQ7HSErTTi...
Reposted by Asheley Landrum
I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12
The Anti-Autocracy Handbook: A Scholars' Guide to Navigating Democratic Backsliding
The Anti-Autocracy Handbook is a call to action, resilience, and collective defence of democracy, truth, and academic freedom in the face of mounting authoritarianism. It tries to provide guidance to ...
sks.to
June 19, 2025 at 9:44 AM
I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12
Vaccines: because “community immunity” sounds way cuter than “preventable outbreak.”
Vaccines aren’t just personal protection—they’re community care.
They stop preventable diseases, protect the vulnerable, and keep our healthcare system from getting overwhelmed.
Immunity is a team sport.
Vaccines aren’t just personal protection—they’re community care.
They stop preventable diseases, protect the vulnerable, and keep our healthcare system from getting overwhelmed.
Immunity is a team sport.
June 9, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Vaccines: because “community immunity” sounds way cuter than “preventable outbreak.”
Vaccines aren’t just personal protection—they’re community care.
They stop preventable diseases, protect the vulnerable, and keep our healthcare system from getting overwhelmed.
Immunity is a team sport.
Vaccines aren’t just personal protection—they’re community care.
They stop preventable diseases, protect the vulnerable, and keep our healthcare system from getting overwhelmed.
Immunity is a team sport.
I hope he doesn’t move to ban vaccines outright… www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/h...
Kennedy Removes All C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Experts
www.nytimes.com
June 9, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I hope he doesn’t move to ban vaccines outright… www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/h...
I used to love using em-dashes. Now, they are seen as a signature of AI-generated text. So, I’m embarrassed to use them. The end.
May 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
I used to love using em-dashes. Now, they are seen as a signature of AI-generated text. So, I’m embarrassed to use them. The end.
Hot takes belong on social media, not in scientific journals.
Science thrives on rigor, nuance, and evidence—not speed, speculation, or snark. #scicomm
Science thrives on rigor, nuance, and evidence—not speed, speculation, or snark. #scicomm
my "hot take": carefully thought out and carefully written perspectives that "create new discussions, inspire future research, and maybe stir things up a bit" ...that's all great and I'm definitely looking forward to these new articles. But actual hot takes don't belong in a leading journal.
May 2, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Hot takes belong on social media, not in scientific journals.
Science thrives on rigor, nuance, and evidence—not speed, speculation, or snark. #scicomm
Science thrives on rigor, nuance, and evidence—not speed, speculation, or snark. #scicomm
👏👏👏
Thanks to @donmoyn.bsky.social for the platform to share my NSF experience & some thoughts on the recent cuts to misinformation research. Publicly funded research & accurate information is vital to our democracy. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/i-oversaw-...
I oversaw rigorous review of NSF-funded research on misinformation: Now the Trump administration is cancelling it
Politicians, not scientists, are the ones engaged in censorship
donmoynihan.substack.com
April 27, 2025 at 1:11 AM
👏👏👏
In 2017, I was unbelievably lucky to be one of the first science of science communication postdocs at @appc.upenn.edu . Our main project covered #popefrancis and #climatechange. I was recently invited to speak about this work with @npr.org to honor Pope Francis www.npr.org/2025/04/21/n...
Pope Francis focused on climate change as the planet continued to get hotter
Pope Francis called on the world and 1.4 billion Catholics to confront climate change. He brought attention to the issue but it's not clear he changed many minds.
www.npr.org
April 23, 2025 at 2:37 AM
In 2017, I was unbelievably lucky to be one of the first science of science communication postdocs at @appc.upenn.edu . Our main project covered #popefrancis and #climatechange. I was recently invited to speak about this work with @npr.org to honor Pope Francis www.npr.org/2025/04/21/n...
Fun at ASU+GSV with Mi-Ai Parrish!
April 11, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Fun at ASU+GSV with Mi-Ai Parrish!
Reposted by Asheley Landrum
I've already had two federal grants terminated and face a 33% pay cut due to future terminations. It's painful, but not as painful as the conversations I'm having every day with brilliant trainees in graduate school and postdoctoral positions who see little future for themselves in US science.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/o...
Really important piece to share widely. Too many Americans don’t know how severe a threat this Administration poses to our scientific infrastructure, global leadership, and health security
Really important piece to share widely. Too many Americans don’t know how severe a threat this Administration poses to our scientific infrastructure, global leadership, and health security
Opinion | The Uncertain Fate of the Young American Scientist (Gift Article)
Young researchers are choosing between staying in science and staying in the United States.
www.nytimes.com
April 5, 2025 at 1:09 AM
I've already had two federal grants terminated and face a 33% pay cut due to future terminations. It's painful, but not as painful as the conversations I'm having every day with brilliant trainees in graduate school and postdoctoral positions who see little future for themselves in US science.
Join us at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication ! We have an opening for a tenured faculty position (associate or full) in Media Law and First Amendment issues. #jobs #media #communication #faculty #cronkite #arizona #asu
jobs.chronicle.com/job/37789047...
jobs.chronicle.com/job/37789047...
Senior faculty position in Media Law and the First Amendment - Phoenix, Arizona (US) job with Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication | 37789047
ASU invites applications for a tenured associate or full professor to teach and conduct research related to media law and First Amendment.
jobs.chronicle.com
February 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Join us at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication ! We have an opening for a tenured faculty position (associate or full) in Media Law and First Amendment issues. #jobs #media #communication #faculty #cronkite #arizona #asu
jobs.chronicle.com/job/37789047...
jobs.chronicle.com/job/37789047...
I did a podcast! The Ongoing Transformation podcast interviewed me about #misinformation about #science and our work on the @nationalacademies.org report
#sciencemisinfo #sciencecomm
issues.org/misinformati...
#sciencemisinfo #sciencecomm
issues.org/misinformati...
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Misinformation?
Misinformation about science makes it hard to make policy, buy groceries, or even live. How can we fix it?
issues.org
February 17, 2025 at 2:39 AM
I did a podcast! The Ongoing Transformation podcast interviewed me about #misinformation about #science and our work on the @nationalacademies.org report
#sciencemisinfo #sciencecomm
issues.org/misinformati...
#sciencemisinfo #sciencecomm
issues.org/misinformati...
Reposted by Asheley Landrum
Scientists and journalists need to figure out right quick how to explain to the average person how a massive change in research indirects will impact the medical care they and their children get (eg at the local children’s hospital), the education their children will get, the price of tuition, etc.
February 8, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Scientists and journalists need to figure out right quick how to explain to the average person how a massive change in research indirects will impact the medical care they and their children get (eg at the local children’s hospital), the education their children will get, the price of tuition, etc.
“People largely learn of what the government is doing through the media — be it mainstream media or social media. If you overwhelm the media — if you give it too many places it needs to look, all at once, if you keep it moving from one thing to the next — no coherent opposition can emerge.”
“Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president. He is trying to substitute perception for reality. He is hoping that perception then becomes reality. That can only happen if we believe him.”
This by Ezra Klein struck me as a really important perspective.
This by Ezra Klein struck me as a really important perspective.
Opinion | Don’t Believe Him (Gift Article)
Look closely at the first two weeks of Donald Trump’s second term and you’ll see something very different than what he wants you to see.
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2025 at 11:04 PM
“People largely learn of what the government is doing through the media — be it mainstream media or social media. If you overwhelm the media — if you give it too many places it needs to look, all at once, if you keep it moving from one thing to the next — no coherent opposition can emerge.”
Our building had an emotional support donkey visit. How was your week?
February 2, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Our building had an emotional support donkey visit. How was your week?
Anyone have a high school kid interested in media? Consider telling them about #CampCronkite !!
cronkite.asu.edu/community/hi...
cronkite.asu.edu/community/hi...
Camp at Cronkite
High schoolers get a head start at #CampCronkite! Explore our immersive summer programs for high school students.
cronkite.asu.edu
January 31, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Anyone have a high school kid interested in media? Consider telling them about #CampCronkite !!
cronkite.asu.edu/community/hi...
cronkite.asu.edu/community/hi...
Last night, I spoke with 12 News here in Phoenix about #factchecking and #socialmedia
youtu.be/7Y2wc7i1dnI
youtu.be/7Y2wc7i1dnI
Media expert discusses future of social media including TikTok ban and Facebook fact-checking
YouTube video by 12 News
youtu.be
January 18, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Last night, I spoke with 12 News here in Phoenix about #factchecking and #socialmedia
youtu.be/7Y2wc7i1dnI
youtu.be/7Y2wc7i1dnI
So… an article we published on science curiosity and political information processing was inappropriately cited in a @naturecomms.bsky.social article 👇🧵
January 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
So… an article we published on science curiosity and political information processing was inappropriately cited in a @naturecomms.bsky.social article 👇🧵
As the pandemic collided with a US presidential election, I felt like I was watching a slow-motion car crash. COVID-19 vaccine attitudes polarized (as we expected)—and then that polarization spread to childhood vaccinations. The fallout is still unfolding. #scicomm #science&politics
This chart showing changes in the measles vaccination rates of the states from today’s NYT is bleak.
January 14, 2025 at 1:50 PM
As the pandemic collided with a US presidential election, I felt like I was watching a slow-motion car crash. COVID-19 vaccine attitudes polarized (as we expected)—and then that polarization spread to childhood vaccinations. The fallout is still unfolding. #scicomm #science&politics
I was interviewed on @abc15arizona.bsky.social about Meta’s decision to get rid of fact checking. Most of my points got cut. Here’s what I think 👇
January 9, 2025 at 10:22 PM
I was interviewed on @abc15arizona.bsky.social about Meta’s decision to get rid of fact checking. Most of my points got cut. Here’s what I think 👇
Had a blast returning as an alumnus of the SFIS Winter School at Saguaro Lake Ranch.
January 8, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Had a blast returning as an alumnus of the SFIS Winter School at Saguaro Lake Ranch.
January 6, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Anyone else suspicious that like 90% of accounts on Bluesky are bots?
January 3, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Anyone else suspicious that like 90% of accounts on Bluesky are bots?