Kate Starbird says attacks have made research difficult, and claims of bias arise because of prevalence of lies from the right
A key researcher in the fight against election misinformation – who herself became the subject of an intensive misinformation campaign – has said her field gets accused of “bias” precisely because it’s now mainly rightwingers who spread the worst lies.
Kate Starbird, co-founder of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, added that she feared that the entirely false story of rigged elections has now “sunk in” for many Americans on the right. “The idea that they’re already going to the polls with the belief that they’re being cheated means they’ll misinterpret everything they see through that lens,” she said.
Starbird’s group partnered with Stanford Internet Observatory on the Election Integrity Partnership ahead of the 2020 elections – a campaign during which a flood of misinformation swirled around the internet, with daily claims of unproven voter fraud.
Starbird and her team helped document that flood, and in return congressional Republicans and conservative attorneys attacked her research, alleging it amounted to censorship and violated the first amendment.
[Citation Needed]
And in case you want one which does support the wearing of masks, here is a lengthy report with plenty of it’s own cited sources on all of the scientific reasons that masks were used to prevent the spread of COVID (note it’s a pdf not web page).
There’s also evidence now that the use of masks was effective, so in addition to there having been good reasons to start using masks before, there’s now also scientific evidence that it worked. Here’s one study on the topic which states: “There was a significant decline in daily COVID-19 growth rate after the mandating of face covers in public, with the effect increasing over time after the orders were signed.”
If you’re going to claim that something is unscientific, please back it up with something more than blind confidence.
No valid studies have shown mask mandates to be effective, but that’s not even the topic. There are zero studies showing any reasoning behind the changes done to election rules. None are backed by science, so what was the reason?
You have literally been given a number of studies that show that masks are effective. Either shut the fuck up, or provide your own you giant moron… Oh, and no, saying “no valid studies” is not proof of anything. Nor is the YouTube video I just bet you’re itching to reply with. Peer reviewed studies, like the ones already provided. We’ll wait.
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Education does wonders to help prevent the spread of ignorance.
Maybe go on Facebook or Youtube comment and spread your message there?