banner
LightNews
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird
@katestarbird.bsky.social
88K followers 2.9K following 3.8K posts

Researcher of online rumors & disinformation. Former basketball player. Prof at University of Washington, HCDE. Co-founder of the UW Center for an Informed Public. Personal account: Views may not reflect those of my employer. #RageAgainstTheBullshitMachine .. more

Videos

Catherine Evelyn Starbird is an American computer scientist and former women's professional basketball player.

Source: Wikipedia
Communication & Media Studies 30%
Sociology 18%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Mar 27
On Feb 24, I gave a lecture at UW explaining what my team's decade-plus research on online rumors during crises reveals about the right wing "bullshit machine." Fittingly, a lightning strike impacted the original audio. Here's a fixed version w/ the full transcript: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjiG...
A Spotlight on Rumors
YouTube video by UW (University of Washington)
www.youtube.com
19 160 500

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Philip N. Cohen, Laurent Pech , and 5 more

walterolson.bsky.social
Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 11h
New from me at Cato: I go through the numerous and massive First Amendment and academic-freedom violations of Trump's proffered "compact" with universities and then talk about the mechanism by which it would be enforced, by way of what I describe as a "retroactive push-button guillotine."
Universities Must Defend Their Independence by Rejecting Trump's "Compact"
The Trump administration has proffered a “compact” to universities that would require them to surrender their independence and academic freedom. How many First Amendment violations can we identify in ...
www.cato.org
12 190 740

Reposted by Kate Starbird

pbump.com
Philip Bump @pbump.com · 11h
Back when I was at The Post, every Friday at 10pm I'd plug my data/visualizations/jokes newsletter.

Well, it's back. In 12 hours, the all-new How To Read This Chart lands in mailboxes. Sign up for free!
howtoreadthisch.art
How To Read This Chart
37% data. 42% visualizations. 210% jokes.
howtoreadthisch.art
14 53 390

Reposted by Rebecca Tushnet, Kate Starbird

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 22h
"The message is clear: Texas A&M does not permit teaching LGBT topics. Politicians, not professors, decide what is taught in Texas classrooms. Anyone who crosses this line may be fired on flimsy pretext"

www.chronicle.com/article/why-...
Why I Withdrew From My Dream Job
At Texas A&M, politicians, not professors, decide what is taught in classrooms.
www.chronicle.com
5 110 360

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 23h
Early hype on the internet promoted the idea that information would be “democratized” with everyone having a voice. But the “gatekeepers” haven’t been erased, they’ve been replaced by “influencers” who figured out how to game the systems to build massive audiences.
1 1 4

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 23h
#Rigged
usatoday.com
USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 23h
Trump said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in resolving various world conflicts.
Donald Trump didn't win the Nobel prize he coveted for role addressing world conflicts
Trump said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in resolving various world conflicts.
bit.ly
5 2 45

Reposted by Kate Starbird

usatoday.com
USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 23h
Trump said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in resolving various world conflicts.
Donald Trump didn't win the Nobel prize he coveted for role addressing world conflicts
Trump said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in resolving various world conflicts.
bit.ly
24 4 13

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio , and 9 more

byjoshmoody.bsky.social
Josh Moody @byjoshmoody.bsky.social · 1d
MIT rejects "compact" proposed by the Trump administration.
MIT prez wrote: it "would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution" and "is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone."
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...
Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart
orgchart.mit.edu
33 470 1.8K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan , and 42 more

thedailyshow.com
The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 1d
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
1.8K 22K 54K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Lisa W. Fazio, Margaret Mitchell , and 24 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."
2.1K 2K 6.6K

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Kate Starbird

nocapspacewbb.com
No Cap Space WBB @nocapspacewbb.com · 1d
On October 8th, 2021, A’ja Wilson was blocked by Brittney Griner with a series on the line.

Four years to the day, the Aces superstar elevated over Alyssa Thomas to get Vegas within one win of a title.

A proper payoff for a hero’s journey, @aghaubner.bsky.social writes.
With A WNBA Finals Game Winner In Hand, A'ja Wilson's Ascent Is Now Complete
There's no question about it now. One win away from a third WNBA title in four years and on the heels of a Game Three game winning jumper, A'ja Wilson is officially the undisputed best in the world.
open.substack.com
5 26

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Perhaps not surprising, considering the people at the helm of this particular authoritarian regime came to power by promoting these conspiracy theory cliches (or tropes) within an increasingly online information ecosystem that became “wired” for their spread.
1 3 33

Reposted by Kate Starbird

cellllla.bsky.social
Cella (is on the job market) @cellllla.bsky.social · 1d
✨I’m on the academic job market ✨

I’m a PhD candidate at @hcii.cmu.edu studying tech, labor, and resistance 👩🏻‍💻💪🏽💥

I research how workers and communities contest harmful sociotechnical systems and shape alternative futures through everyday resistance and collective action

More info: cella.io
Cella M. Sum –
cella.io
2 30 50

Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, Jennifer Dill, Kate Starbird

sbagen.bsky.social
Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 1d
I am really glad that @jeremymberg.bsky.social wrote this. Everybody who cares about science, and about knowledge generation and civil society generally, should read and share with their favorite administrator.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment
open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment
Leaders are underestimating the risks of not fighting back
open.substack.com
9 78 190

Reposted by Greg Linden

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
Words to live by.
qjurecic.bsky.social
Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 2d
he's going to come after you either way, so you might as well act with integrity
2 34 240

Reposted by Kate Starbird

zenakeita.bsky.social
Zena Keita @zenakeita.bsky.social · 2d
A’JA. THAT IS A TOUGH ASS SHOT.
2 13 86

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Kate Starbird

sethcotlar.bsky.social
Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 2d
Two big GOP activists from Oregon were in DC last month for meetings with Trump admin officials. On their podcast they talk about a plan they discussed to nullify the results of Oregon's 2026 federal elections. Pass federal voter ID law, then refuse to seat OR delegation because OR didn't comply.
Ep. 18: September to Remember October 6 • S1 E18 • 44 min Also, we proposed a idea how to do a end run on vote by mail. Concept is based on what Trump proposed. When you vote, you check everyone's citizenship as well as voter ID. In a vote by mail state, you might be able to check citizenship during voter registration. You can send copies of your passport and your birth certificate in. How in the world are you going to check our voters? Voter ID, right? Vote by mail. So that creates a problem for Oregon. But if federal government new requirement is to check both, and if Oregon can comply with the requirements, what would happen to our election result? I'm talking about the entire federal delegation. For federal elections, we're talking about only federal elections. COMMON SENSE Vascluar Ep. 18: September to Remember October 6 • S1 E18 • 44 min So entire federal delegation, congressmen and senators could be challenged, could be unseated because you didn't follow federal requirements to elect them. So I said the trade-off is worth it. You know why? Democrats control two Senate seats out of six congressional seats. We only control one. They control five. You talk about trade-off, right? COMMON SENSE Sanctuany
64 1.1K 2.1K

Reposted by Kate Starbird

aaup-penn.bsky.social
AAUP–Penn @aaup-penn.bsky.social · 2d
To sign this loyalty oath, as AAUP-Penn president Jessa Lingel says, “would be a total betrayal of our values” whyy.org/articles/pen...
Penn union organizers call Trump demands on higher ed ‘total betrayal of our values’
The White House asked nine universities to make sweeping policy changes to access federal programs like visas and research grants.
whyy.org
10 41

Reposted by Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 7 more

pbump.com
Philip Bump @pbump.com · 2d
I spent more than a decade at The Post. It was good to me and I was proud to work there. I’ve largely refrained from being critical since I left. But this framing of the special counsel probe is embarrassing and flatly wrong. Stunning, but not. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Jack Smith’s lawfare and James Comey’s arraignment on pathetically weak charges
Good people will be deterred from public service if they see a meaningful risk of winding up in jail afterward.
www.washingtonpost.com
160 1.2K 5.2K

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 9 more

qjurecic.bsky.social
Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 2d
he's going to come after you either way, so you might as well act with integrity
38 1.1K 5.2K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Bessma Momani

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
Siva Vaidhyanathan on the Trump admin’s proposed “compact” for universities (to give up academic freedom in exchange for favorable treatment by the Trump government): “This ‘compact’ is more like an invitation to borrow money from the mob, with substantial control and future penalties assured.”
sivav.bsky.social
Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 2d
And from me:

newrepublic.com/article/2013...
Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down
How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education
newrepublic.com
2 26 85

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
This is excellent, especially: “This ‘compact’ is more like an invitation to borrow money from the mob, with substantial control and future penalties assured.”
1 2 6

Reposted by Kate Starbird

sivav.bsky.social
Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 2d
And from me:

newrepublic.com/article/2013...
Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down
How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education
newrepublic.com
2 2 8

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
The signs said "Sinclair lies" ... so I think just awareness of the fact that KOMO is now owned by Sinclair (and has been for a LONG while), which many folks around Seattle (my own family included) just didn't understand.
1 1

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
The comments on this post are … something. The lack of empathy, political imagination, and strategic thinking is troubling. C’mon folks. Ben points out a vulnerability and lever (the NG troops who could become allies against these deployments) and the replies are like, “Nope. Eff that. Eff them.”
raders.bsky.social
Ben Raderstorf @raders.bsky.social · 3d
Texas National Guard troops arriving in Chicago (via ABC News)

Remember: These are not MAGA stormtroopers. These are everyday teachers and accountants who signed up to serve their country with their spare time. They're being used as political pawns by venal, un-American, draft-dodging president
28 28 120

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Bonnie Honig, Henry Farrell , and 1 more

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
Henry Farrell on the Trump admin’s proposed “compact” for universities, arguing that the rollout signals weakness, and that academics need to band together to reject this authoritarian attack on university independence and academic freedom.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
2 62 130

Reposted by Kate Starbird

amykristinsanders.bsky.social
Amy Kristin Sanders @amykristinsanders.bsky.social · 3d
Timely panel on government employee speech that all my academic colleagues at public universities should attend in light of recent reprimands, firings and removals of faculty for comments about Charlie Kirk's murder and more. georgiafirstamendmentfoundation18.wildapricot.org/event-6368238
8 14

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Mark A. Lemley, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 5 more

gregsargent.bsky.social
Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 3d
JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom are doing something new and important: They understand Stephen Miller's theory of fascist power politics, and they've developed a theory on how to combat it. More Dems need to reckon with Miller's understanding of the moment.

New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
Inside Stephen Miller’s Secret Plan to Normalize Trump’s Dictator Rule
He wants to supercharge searing civil tensions to get low-information voters to embrace their inner authoritarian. Exactly two Democrats appear to fully grasp this.
newrepublic.com
140 1.5K 3.7K

Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Marc Lynch, Ben H. Ansell , and 11 more

himself.bsky.social
Henry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 3d
"It wanted to signal strength. Instead, it’s revealing its weakness. The administration’s need to break the academy is forcing it to make a desperately risky gamble." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
Opinion | You Beat Trumpism by Banding Together. It’s as Hard and as Simple as That.
www.nytimes.com
12 180 620

Reposted by David R. Miller, Kate Starbird, Colin Woodard

raders.bsky.social
Ben Raderstorf @raders.bsky.social · 3d
Texas National Guard troops arriving in Chicago (via ABC News)

Remember: These are not MAGA stormtroopers. These are everyday teachers and accountants who signed up to serve their country with their spare time. They're being used as political pawns by venal, un-American, draft-dodging president
200 150 560