Covering RFK Jr. – he’s not a “sceptic” he’s a science denier
Today the media will tell you that Donald Trump’s appointment as US secretary of health is a sceptic about vaccine safety. But Robert F Kennedy Jr is not a sceptic… Read more »
Quick tips for better political social posts
Politicians are often gifted communicators but sometimes their social media posts let them down. You’ve probably seen the sorts of posts I’m talking about; a politician starts a tweet with… Read more »
How to deal with the Craig Kelly in your life: a guide to tackling coronavirus contrarians
Australians love a fiery contest, whether on the sporting field or in the corridors of Canberra. Which is why this week’s spat between Tanya Plibersek and Craig Kelly, which played… Read more »
You can help beat coronavirus disease by fighting contagious misinformation
The coronavirus disease is now a pandemic. You might feel like the world is slipping into an abyss, but every one of us can do something to keep those around us… Read more »
The winding story of the backfire effect
Ethan Porter was about to write the most difficult sentence of his PhD program. He opened his laptop. Looking at the keyboard he reflected on the “nightmare stories” he’d heard… Read more »
We asked people to do climate change maths. Their answers depended on their politics
The article below was originally published by The Conversation and is based on my research in the journal Environmental Communication. Will J Grant, Australian National University In an ideal world,… Read more »
Your Q&A format may be doing you more harm than good
*** Update – Ecker et al (2019) has published compelling new information showing that a Q&A format is actually quite effective in getting people to update their false beliefs. In… Read more »
Are other people more biased than you?
Have you ever come across someone who simply refuses to acknowledge facts when they don’t suit their argument? Chances are if you’ve debated matters of politics, religion or science, even… Read more »
Angry people are easier to persuade
A few weeks ago we had a look at whether humour could be used to make arguments more persuasive. How timely then that research just published has investigated whether anger… Read more »
New INSPIRE framework to improve written communication
Governments can be the best communicators and the worst communicators. Sometimes they produce award winning campaigns that save millions of lives, yet at the same time they often produce baffling… Read more »