David Scales
@tnfalpha.bsky.social
Hospitalist, sociologist @WeillCornell studying information environments, contested illness, medical communication
Co-founder, Health for Palestine
he/il/el/هو
Co-founder, Health for Palestine
he/il/el/هو
Pinned
David Scales
@tnfalpha.bsky.social
· Jun 17
Contemporary information systems face growing public distrust across a range of issues. This Perspective introduces a Community-Centered Exploration, Engagement, and Evaluation system to help detect and mitigate potential information harms.
Advocating for a community-centred model for responding to potential information harms - Nature Human Behaviour
Contemporary information systems face growing public distrust across a range of issues including public health, election integrity and climate. This Perspective introduces the Community-Centered Exploration, Engagement, and Evaluation system to help detect and mitigate potential information harms, integrating community participation and response at its core.
www.nature.com
Community expertise is essential for monitoring potential information harms, but current “social listening” efforts often bring community input late in the process. It’s time to update our tracking approaches to foreground that shift. @cward1e.bsky.social and I offer one approach in a new paper.
Reposted by David Scales
I find it *extremely* disturbing that Jay Bhattacharya—who campaigned for RFK Jr during RFK’s Presidential run—is repositioning the NIH to be the research arm of RFK Jr’s anti-vaccine, anti-science MAHA movement😨
“I want the NIH to be a central driver of the MAHA agenda,” Bhattacharya said. “Essentially, it's kind of the research arm of MAHA.”
NIH is not an ideological toy or 'arm'. We must insist on its scientific independence, especially if its Director will not.
🚨
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
NIH is not an ideological toy or 'arm'. We must insist on its scientific independence, especially if its Director will not.
🚨
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya talks 'replication crisis' at Duke panel, omits funding cuts
Throughout the second Trump administration, the NIH has frozen billions of dollars in research funding to universities. Those cuts were not the topic of discussion at a Duke Clinical Research Institut...
www.dukechronicle.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:43 PM
I find it *extremely* disturbing that Jay Bhattacharya—who campaigned for RFK Jr during RFK’s Presidential run—is repositioning the NIH to be the research arm of RFK Jr’s anti-vaccine, anti-science MAHA movement😨
Reposted by David Scales
Anyone who paid attention knew that there was no doubt about the official number from the GHM being an undercount due to its historically conservative approach and due to inability to keep pace with the actual death rate. IDF now admits, like it did in 2021 and 2014, that it has an accurate record.
I cannot tell you how much doubt was consistently directed at the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers and how much pressure was put on news organizations to couch those numbers as unreliable.
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
IDF accepts Gaza Health Ministry death toll of over 71,000 Palestinians killed in the war
Although Many International Experts Have Accepted the Health Ministry's Data as Reliable, and Even Conservative Relative to the True Death Toll, Israel Had Refused to Accept the Health Ministry's Coun...
www.haaretz.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Anyone who paid attention knew that there was no doubt about the official number from the GHM being an undercount due to its historically conservative approach and due to inability to keep pace with the actual death rate. IDF now admits, like it did in 2021 and 2014, that it has an accurate record.
Reposted by David Scales
"The Ministry's tally includes only those killed directly by Israeli military fire in its tracking, not people who died of starvation or from diseases exacerbated by the war."
I cannot tell you how much doubt was consistently directed at the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers and how much pressure was put on news organizations to couch those numbers as unreliable.
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
IDF accepts Gaza Health Ministry death toll of over 71,000 Palestinians killed in the war
Although Many International Experts Have Accepted the Health Ministry's Data as Reliable, and Even Conservative Relative to the True Death Toll, Israel Had Refused to Accept the Health Ministry's Coun...
www.haaretz.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:27 PM
"The Ministry's tally includes only those killed directly by Israeli military fire in its tracking, not people who died of starvation or from diseases exacerbated by the war."
Reposted by David Scales
The violent occupation of Minneapolis started with a vlog. I've wanted to find a framework to describe Nick Shirley & others like him: "Influencer" is too quaint. "Journalist" is obviously wrong.
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
What is Nick Shirley?
Slop doesn’t need to be AI-generated
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:11 PM
The violent occupation of Minneapolis started with a vlog. I've wanted to find a framework to describe Nick Shirley & others like him: "Influencer" is too quaint. "Journalist" is obviously wrong.
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
DARVO tactics weaponize media that seeks to be "objective" by placing quotes from "both sides" on equal footing. Outlets could stipulate they won't publish blatantly false information/quotes. The risk of appearing partisan should be outweighed by their commitment to the truth.
If you aren't familiar with what DARVO is, get familiar with it. "Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender." The govt is relying on DARVO as a tactic on a national scale, and it is also increasingly a conservative tactic to attack outspoken critics of their ideas, theories, & renderings of history.
DARVO - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 29, 2026 at 4:26 PM
DARVO tactics weaponize media that seeks to be "objective" by placing quotes from "both sides" on equal footing. Outlets could stipulate they won't publish blatantly false information/quotes. The risk of appearing partisan should be outweighed by their commitment to the truth.
This is an excellent piece. There is strong randomized controlled trial data supporting motivational interviewing as an intervention to reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates. It makes sense to apply similar cognitive approaches and this paper nicely lays out how to do so.
Social conflict fosters cognitive distortions which, like those in clinical settings, lead to cycles of counterproductive behavior that feed into distorted thinking.
A new paper uses insights from CBT to fix cognitive distortions that fuel intergroup conflict:
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
A new paper uses insights from CBT to fix cognitive distortions that fuel intergroup conflict:
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
January 29, 2026 at 4:17 PM
This is an excellent piece. There is strong randomized controlled trial data supporting motivational interviewing as an intervention to reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates. It makes sense to apply similar cognitive approaches and this paper nicely lays out how to do so.
Reposted by David Scales
I hate to tap the sign but again: this is all made to make in-person education and access to knowledge transfer a preserve of the elite. Human education for the few, bots for the many.
We want to make sure tutoring isn't the preserve of a lucky few, but accessible to every child who needs it.
AI can help us do that.
Safe, personalised, one-to-one learning support to help every child achieve and thrive.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
AI can help us do that.
Safe, personalised, one-to-one learning support to help every child achieve and thrive.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
Poorest pupils to be given AI tutors
Bridget Phillipson says tuition would no longer be the preserve of ‘the lucky few’
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 29, 2026 at 10:34 AM
I hate to tap the sign but again: this is all made to make in-person education and access to knowledge transfer a preserve of the elite. Human education for the few, bots for the many.
Reposted by David Scales
You walk into this bar and show your ICE mugshot, you don't pay a dime.
Scrolling through the photos of Pam Bondi's "Minnesota rioters," it's just hero after hero. Every photo includes a cowardly DHS agent with their back to the camera.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
January 28, 2026 at 10:34 PM
You walk into this bar and show your ICE mugshot, you don't pay a dime.
Reposted by David Scales
In Minneapolis, far-right influencers posing as journalists are casting themselves as victims and labeling ICE-watch groups “terrorists.” Their big new evidence—“infiltrated” Signal chats—isn’t a secret, had no calls for violence and urged people to witness, not interfere.
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
In Minneapolis, far-right influencers frame ICE resistance as terrorism
As communities organize against Trump's federal crackdown, a network of pundits is building an "insurrectionist" narrative against them.
www.ms.now
January 28, 2026 at 2:01 PM
In Minneapolis, far-right influencers posing as journalists are casting themselves as victims and labeling ICE-watch groups “terrorists.” Their big new evidence—“infiltrated” Signal chats—isn’t a secret, had no calls for violence and urged people to witness, not interfere.
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
Reposted by David Scales
These undergraduate journalists at Duke appear to have more courage than institutional officials in calling out the current NIH Leadership™.
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
1/5
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
1/5
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya talks 'replication crisis' at Duke panel, omits funding cuts
Throughout the second Trump administration, the NIH has frozen billions of dollars in research funding to universities. Those cuts were not the topic of discussion at a Duke Clinical Research Institut...
www.dukechronicle.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:00 PM
These undergraduate journalists at Duke appear to have more courage than institutional officials in calling out the current NIH Leadership™.
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
1/5
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
1/5
Reposted by David Scales
Being able to identify hoaxes, avoid scams & debunk propaganda is a civic skill required in today's information society. That's why curriculum for students in Finland includes media literacy lessons, aimed at safeguarding a precious resource: the truth. Via @aljazeera.com
Finland teaches media literacy to fight fake news and disinformation
YouTube video by Al Jazeera English
youtube.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:10 AM
Being able to identify hoaxes, avoid scams & debunk propaganda is a civic skill required in today's information society. That's why curriculum for students in Finland includes media literacy lessons, aimed at safeguarding a precious resource: the truth. Via @aljazeera.com
Reposted by David Scales
"Only a quarter of the $50 billion fund is being distributed exclusively based on measures of state need, with just 5% of the fund that is based on rural population." www.kff.org/state-health...
First-Year Rural Health Fund Awards Range From Less Than $100 Per Rural Resident in Ten States to More Than $500 in Eight | KFF
This policy watch evaluates state awards through the rural health fund in 2026, the first year of the program. The analysis shows relatively modest variations in total awards this year across states b...
www.kff.org
January 28, 2026 at 12:14 AM
"Only a quarter of the $50 billion fund is being distributed exclusively based on measures of state need, with just 5% of the fund that is based on rural population." www.kff.org/state-health...
Reposted by David Scales
"Copaganda — the reproduction and circulation in mainstream media of propaganda that is favorable to law enforcement — has long been a tool to disrupt legitimate claims of anti-Black violence."
level.medium.com/pop-culture-...
level.medium.com/pop-culture-...
Pop Culture Helped Turn Police Officers Into Rock Stars — And Black Folks Into Criminals
Exploring how copaganda empowers law enforcement to terrorize with impunity
level.medium.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:07 AM
"Copaganda — the reproduction and circulation in mainstream media of propaganda that is favorable to law enforcement — has long been a tool to disrupt legitimate claims of anti-Black violence."
level.medium.com/pop-culture-...
level.medium.com/pop-culture-...
>220 killed so far
Gaza remains 'deadliest place for journalists,' press advocates warn in wake of strike that killed 3 | CBC News
Three freelance photojournalists in Gaza were killed in an Israeli airstrike last week, the latest in a long list of Palestinian reporters who have died in the war in Gaza. Some fear it's a sign that ...
www.cbc.ca
January 28, 2026 at 2:12 AM
>220 killed so far
Reposted by David Scales
I hope every Democratic foreign policy official who served in the Biden Administration and/or hopes to serve again noticed what Benjamin Netanyahu just said about Joe Biden allegedly starving the IDF of ammunition in Gaza.
January 27, 2026 at 10:18 PM
I hope every Democratic foreign policy official who served in the Biden Administration and/or hopes to serve again noticed what Benjamin Netanyahu just said about Joe Biden allegedly starving the IDF of ammunition in Gaza.
Reposted by David Scales
Hey Minnesotans. Have your bosses sent you a mealy-mouthed email about how to remain productive during these troubled times or some other example of non-committal, faux-concerned corporate-speak? We want to publish a bunch of these. Send examples to keith at racketmn.com. You will NOT be identified.
January 26, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Hey Minnesotans. Have your bosses sent you a mealy-mouthed email about how to remain productive during these troubled times or some other example of non-committal, faux-concerned corporate-speak? We want to publish a bunch of these. Send examples to keith at racketmn.com. You will NOT be identified.
“Their untroubled and automatic dishonesty, amid so much shared evidence, gives rise to a horrible question: If this is what they do when we can see, what’s going on in the places—planes and cars, detention centers—where we can’t?”
Witnessing Another Public Killing in Minneapolis
Videos of Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting, rapidly disseminated on social media, reveal a brazen display of brute power.
www.newyorker.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:05 AM
“Their untroubled and automatic dishonesty, amid so much shared evidence, gives rise to a horrible question: If this is what they do when we can see, what’s going on in the places—planes and cars, detention centers—where we can’t?”
Reposted by David Scales
This witness to Alex Pretti's murder not only refutes the governmen't story, but says she is afraid to go home because federal agents might arrest her. This is what it feels like to live under state terror.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
TincherSealedWitnessDec012426.PDF
www.documentcloud.org
January 25, 2026 at 2:43 PM
This witness to Alex Pretti's murder not only refutes the governmen't story, but says she is afraid to go home because federal agents might arrest her. This is what it feels like to live under state terror.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by David Scales
Kudos to the NYT editor who took “Appears to” out of the lead headline (finally)
January 25, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Kudos to the NYT editor who took “Appears to” out of the lead headline (finally)
Reposted by David Scales
tfw when the imperialism is boomeranging
January 25, 2026 at 1:42 PM
tfw when the imperialism is boomeranging
Reposted by David Scales
If you're interested in seeing how framing contests are taking shape after the ICE killing of another person in Minneapolis, here's a window into the conversation on X this morning.
Link to interactive graph: faculty.washington.edu/kstarbi/Spot...
* I put this together quickly. Sorry for any errors
Link to interactive graph: faculty.washington.edu/kstarbi/Spot...
* I put this together quickly. Sorry for any errors
January 24, 2026 at 8:56 PM
If you're interested in seeing how framing contests are taking shape after the ICE killing of another person in Minneapolis, here's a window into the conversation on X this morning.
Link to interactive graph: faculty.washington.edu/kstarbi/Spot...
* I put this together quickly. Sorry for any errors
Link to interactive graph: faculty.washington.edu/kstarbi/Spot...
* I put this together quickly. Sorry for any errors
Reposted by David Scales
We’ve placed the available videos of the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis today into the same synchronised timeline and are continuing to analyse further.
January 24, 2026 at 8:39 PM
We’ve placed the available videos of the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis today into the same synchronised timeline and are continuing to analyse further.
Reposted by David Scales
“Let’s do the fucking news”
This Sunday, Jan. 25, 60 Minutes presents “A Night at the Movies,” a special edition featuring profiles from our archives on:
• Timothée Chalamet
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Kate Winslet
• Timothée Chalamet
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Kate Winslet
January 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM
“Let’s do the fucking news”
Reposted by David Scales
In response to the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization, California announced that it has joined the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network, the first state to do so.
January 23, 2026 at 11:07 PM
In response to the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization, California announced that it has joined the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network, the first state to do so.