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Deceptively edited videos have become a dangerous feature of today’s political landscape. Just about anyone with commercially available video editing tools can make public figures appear drunk or befuddled. The tactic is being used to reinforce the false notion that Democratic nominee Joe Biden is in cognitive decline. The manipulated videos might not shake the faith of many Biden supporters, but they could keep the falsehoods in circulation and force the Biden campaign to respond to the manufactured controversy.
Can civil society stay ahead of these “cheapfakes” and the more sophisticated “deepfakes” looming on the horizon? Michigan State communications scholar Dustin Carnahan writes that a shared sense of reality, already seriously eroded by social media-fueled political divisions, hangs in the balance.
Also today:
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Joe Biden faces a disinformation campaign promulgating the false notion that he is in cognitive decline.
Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Dustin Carnahan, Michigan State University
It's easy to edit video of public figures to make them appear asleep, confused, drunk or cognitively impaired when they are not. The technique is being used to undermine Joe Biden's campaign.
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Environment + Energy
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Andrew J. Whelton, Purdue University; Caitlin R. Proctor, Purdue University
Two environmental engineers say governments need to do more to protect people from possible water contamination after wildfires.
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Politics/Election '20
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Charlotte Hill, University of California, Berkeley; Jake Grumbach, University of Washington
The mail-in voting process has several built-in safeguards that make it hard for one person to vote fraudulently, and even more difficult to commit large-scale voter fraud.
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Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino
Think American democracy is ending? You're not alone, writes a historian. American leaders have often yielded to despair – as far back as the founding of the republic.
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Janet Bednarek, University of Dayton
Though air travel has boosted presidential campaigns for decades, the 2020 pandemic has underlined the importance of aircraft as the quickest and safest way to campaign.
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Thessalia Merivaki, Mississippi State University
An army of mostly older, white volunteers run America's voting sites. They're reluctant to work during a pandemic. So new recruits are signing up to run the polls, for better and for worse.
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Economy + Business
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Kim Brimhall, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Dozens of companies have made pledges in recent months to make their workforces more inclusive. A scholar asked employees what they think that means.
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Health
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Tammy Chang, University of Michigan; Matthew Dunn, University of Michigan
In a series of surveys, young people across the US described their thinking and behavior amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ethics + Religion
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Michael Blake, University of Washington
Some presidents have lied for honorable reasons, while for others the lies have been simply self-serving.
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Science + Technology
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Benjamin Waddell, Fort Lewis College; R. Nathan Pipitone, Florida Gulf Coast University
If you’re American – regardless of the color of your skin – racism structures how you think. Changing the system should change these implicit biases.
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Education
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Peter C. Cormas, California University of Pennsylvania
Teachers in training can be taught to teach their students to tackle problems like mathematicians and scientists. But will they stick with that approach once they get their own class?
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Patrick K. Freer, Georgia State University
Many boys stop singing at adolescence – but with the right support, they can continue to sing through their voice change and emerge as lifetime singers.
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Trending on site
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Mark Evely, Wayne State University
A funeral director explains how the bodies of the deceased are prepared for burial or cremation in the United States.
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Jenna Drenten, Loyola University Chicago
Increasingly outlandish gender reveal parties align perfectly with the values of an economy that's always scrolling for the next best thing.
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Tabitha Moses, Wayne State University
Lack of privacy is a top concern for students required to log on to online courses, a scholar argues.
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