“It always kind of turns into a heated debate at our house whether or not the vaccine is OK.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Blake Przesmicki Tom Barrett is an Advertising and Studio Art student at UWM who is set to graduate in May. He recalls his experiences with misinformation online, as well as within his own family. He also gives his strategies on how to interact with modern misinformation and conspiracy theories. Blake Przesmicki: Any given day, how much time […]
“I never wanted to leave the classroom.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Brooke Curry Hannah Severson is a third-grade teacher from the Madison Metropolitan School District. After teaching for five years, she made the difficult decision in 2022 to step away from her classroom. Brooke Curry: To start, tell us a little bit about your educational background and what led you to teaching. Hannah Severson: I graduated from UW-Madison […]
“Misinformation happens. It’s unavoidable. But it’s better than people not being informed at all.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Derek Johnson Alex Kane is a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who has a minor in Russian. He recently moved to Germany to attend graduate school, and when Russia’s so-called “special operation” in Ukraine started in early 2022, he was able to see how his friends from Ukraine and Russia were affected by misinformation, while […]
“The media jumps to conclusions. Police officers go to a scene and they react to what is going on at the scene. They’re not reacting to race.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Samantha Blackstad Michael Blackstad, 51, is a former police officer from the Downey Police Department in Downey, California. He was on the force from 1997-2005, until he was medically retired due to a car accident on the job. Michael now lives in Fond du Lac, Wis. with his family and works as a produce manager at the […]
“Some people would say this, and some people would say that, and the hospital protocols were always changing.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Sierra Radler Micaela Arellano, 24, is a graduate student from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh certified as a nursing assistant and working towards her masters in anesthesiology. She graduated in May 2020 a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic began and was working in the hospital as the pandemic approached. Arellano found that the pandemic created challenges along […]
“The military’s very strongly put into effect, from leadership down, to only trust the words of your high command and not your fellow soldiers on the line.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Hans Reitmeyer Among the institutions that face the greatest threat from misinformation, the United States military may be the most significant. While misinformation in national politics may lead to polarization and awkward Thanksgiving conversations, when it comes to national security, having the right information is often a matter of life or death. To better understand how the […]
“The hardest thing for us was that there were things that the President himself would say and do that weren’t credible.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Emily Walter Edward Hartwig, former Deputy Administrator of the United States Digital Service, talks with Emily Walter about the effects of misinformation in government. Emily Walter: Start by telling me your name and the title you had when Covid started. Edward Hartwig: My name is Edward Hartwig and the title of my job when covid first started […]
“You have leaders that think it’s fake and there’s nothing going on, and you have leaders saying there is something going on.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Niko Barrientos Mary Barrientos works at a small business in Elm Grove. Over the last two years, she has learned a lot about the impact of misinformation on her and the local community. Mary reflects on the misinformation and division surrounding controversial topics like Covid-19 and says the situation has left her frustrated. Niko: Can you tell […]
“You can definitely see the split and divide in Fond du Lac County.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Samantha Blackstad Lisa Blackstad, 48, has been a server her whole life, both in California and Wisconsin, working with her mom at Marie Calanders in California, to working at Fish Company. Once she moved to Wisconsin, she started working at a supper club and eventually landed a job at a small diner, the Eden Grill in Fond […]
“I believe people should be vaccinated if that’s the choice they want to make. I am vaccinated but it came across a little controlling.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Brant Vistain Brooke Vistain is a nursing student at Bellin College. She talks with Brant Vistain about her experiences during the pandemic, being required to get the vaccine, and misinformation in the health field. Brant Vistain: I’m with my sister Brooke who is currently a nursing student, Brooke would you like to introduce yourself quick? Brook Vistaine: […]
“It’s really easy for you to be like, ‘Oh this is just a joke.'” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Madeline Kilgore Cassandra Kilgore is a 26-year-old woman who manages the dining room in a small, family-owned breakfast restaurant in the heart of the tourist town, Wisconsin Dells. She has worked in the food service industry since she was 14 years old and has recently had to navigate through effects of misinformation in her work life, and […]
“I think there’s quite a few people that are mistrusting of doctors, and even our own doctors.” Posted on May 11, 2022August 30, 2023 by Blake Przesmicki Diane Leveille is a Registered Nurse at the Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Gastrointestinal Lab in Milwaukee. She recalls her experience with COVID-19 at the lab and how it affected the staff, as well as her experience with medical misinformation and how the internet has affected her job and patients. Diane Leveille: My name is Diane […]