Misinformation is having its moment in 2024 election
UC journalism professor talks to WVXU about how to gauge veracity of campaign claims
WVXU's Cincinnati Edition spoke to a University of Cincinnati journalism professor about ways misinformation is being used to political advantage in the 2024 presidential election.
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Jeffrey Blevins said artificial intelligence is helping to spread falsehoods by targeting users who are likely to engage with particular content.
“The algorithm wants to keep you engaged so it puts content in front of you that you will like or comment on. And that tends to be things that push our emotional buttons,” Blevins said.
Blevins also teaches political science in UC's School of Public and International Affairs. He is author of the new book “Social Media and Digital Politics: Networked Reason in an Age of Digital Emotion.”
Blevins was joined on the show by Case Western Reserve University law professor Eric Chaffee. Chaffee said exaggerations, half-truths and whoppers have a storied history in American politics. The news media plays a big role in fact-checking statements, he said.
But Blevins said everyone should greet the messages of political campaigns with at least some skepticism.
Listen to the Cincinnati Edition episode.
Featured image at top: WVXU's Cincinnati Edition took up the question of misinformation in the 2024 election. Photo/Unsplash
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Jeffrey Blevins is co-author of the new book “Social Media and Digital Politics: Networked Reason in an Age of Digital Emotion.” Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
More UC Journalism in the news
A UC professor tracks misinformation in the 2024 election. Photo/Unsplash
Related Stories
Recent advances may speed time to endometriosis diagnosis
March 16, 2026
The average time to clinical diagnosis of endometriosis is nine years. Definitive diagnosis of the disease is difficult, and until recently, has relied on laparoscopic surgery. Now, as Medscape recently reported, novel clinical recommendations, advanced diagnostic tools and research into inflammation and immune responses, are bringing promise that women with endometriosis will find relief sooner and without surgery, according to experts, including Katie Burns, PhD, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine associate professor.
Position-specific helmets may not improve protection
March 16, 2026
Local 12 highlighted a new study by biomedical engineering researchers that looked at how well new football helmets protected players from impacts that can cause concussions.
UC biologist talks about 'pearmageddon'
March 16, 2026
WLWT talks to UC biologist and Department Head Theresa Culley about invasive, nonnative Callery pear trees that are spreading across Ohio forests after they were introduced by landscapers more than 50 years ago.