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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack
@morganwack.bsky.social
490 followers 990 following 8 posts
PostDoc at UZH. Formerly Clemson & UW. Technology & democracy, political misinformation, African politics, and LFC.
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Recently published work from colleagues Morgan Wack (postdoc at University of Zurich) & Joey Schafer (UW PhD candidate) showing how state election policies that delayed vote counting fueled rumoring and conspiracy theorizing around the 2020 election: blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
The 2020 US election shows how state election policies can fuel conspiracy theories about voting | USAPP
States that allowed pre-Election Day processing saw a reduction of over a third in expected misinformation compared to states with restrictive rules.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
lseusablog.bsky.social
LSE US Politics and Policy blog - USAPP @lseusablog.bsky.social · 2d
The 2020 US election shows how state election policies can fuel conspiracy theories about voting write @morganwack.bsky.social of @ikmz.bsky.social and @schafer.bsky.social of @uwnews.uw.edu

blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
The 2020 US election shows how state election policies can fuel conspiracy theories about voting | USAPP
States that allowed pre-Election Day processing saw a reduction of over a third in expected misinformation compared to states with restrictive rules.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
ikennedy.bsky.social
Ian Kennedy (they/them) 🏳️‍⚧️ @ikennedy.bsky.social · Jul 14
How often do you see papers that suggest easy policies that could reduce electoral misinformation? Here's one I worked on with a great team out of UW and led by @morganwack.bsky.social and @schafer.bsky.social
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Jul 11
Legislating Uncertainty: New paper about the 2020 election, showing how laws in certain states (specically laws that delayed the counting of mail-in ballots) increased uncertainty about election results and contributed to rumoring about election integrity: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
<em>Policy Studies Journal</em> | PSO Public Policy Journal | Wiley Online Library
Can state election policies affect the spread of misinformation? This paper studies the role played by ballot processing policies, which determine when ballots can be examined and organized, in the o...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Jul 11
Thrilled to finally see this paper out in print several years after @schafer.bsky.social and I started this project alongside @ikennedy.bsky.social, @beeeeeers.bsky.social, @emmaspiro.bsky.social & @katestarbird.bsky.social! Unfortunately the detrimental policies we discuss remain relevant.
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Jul 11
Legislating Uncertainty: New paper about the 2020 election, showing how laws in certain states (specically laws that delayed the counting of mail-in ballots) increased uncertainty about election results and contributed to rumoring about election integrity: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
<em>Policy Studies Journal</em> | PSO Public Policy Journal | Wiley Online Library
Can state election policies affect the spread of misinformation? This paper studies the role played by ballot processing policies, which determine when ballots can be examined and organized, in the o...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Jul 11
Legislating Uncertainty: New paper about the 2020 election, showing how laws in certain states (specically laws that delayed the counting of mail-in ballots) increased uncertainty about election results and contributed to rumoring about election integrity: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
<em>Policy Studies Journal</em> | PSO Public Policy Journal | Wiley Online Library
Can state election policies affect the spread of misinformation? This paper studies the role played by ballot processing policies, which determine when ballots can be examined and organized, in the o...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
4 18 45
Reposted by Morgan Wack
schafer.bsky.social
Joey Schafer @schafer.bsky.social · Jul 11
Proud to have co-led this paper with @morganwack.bsky.social (and other coauthors @ikennedy.bsky.social @beeeeeers.bsky.social @emmaspiro.bsky.social @katestarbird.bsky.social) looking at the impacts of state-level election laws on uncertainty and election integrity rumors!
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Jul 11
Legislating Uncertainty: New paper about the 2020 election, showing how laws in certain states (specically laws that delayed the counting of mail-in ballots) increased uncertainty about election results and contributed to rumoring about election integrity: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
<em>Policy Studies Journal</em> | PSO Public Policy Journal | Wiley Online Library
Can state election policies affect the spread of misinformation? This paper studies the role played by ballot processing policies, which determine when ballots can be examined and organized, in the o...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
5 16
Reposted by Morgan Wack
psypost.bsky.social
PsyPost @psypost.bsky.social · Apr 16
Russian propaganda campaign used AI to scale output without sacrificing credibility, study finds
Russian propaganda campaign used AI to scale output without sacrificing credibility, study finds
A pro-Kremlin influence campaign used AI to boost disinformation output without undermining credibility, according to new research.
www.psypost.org
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
pnasnexus.org
PNAS Nexus @pnasnexus.org · Apr 7
A study of a propaganda site with ties to Russia shows that using AI allows propagandists to dial up the volume of their content without sacrificing persuasiveness. The authors call for action to combat the threat. In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Screenshot from DCWeekly in October 2023, accessed through the Internet Archive.
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
pnasnexus.org
PNAS Nexus @pnasnexus.org · Apr 7
A study of a Russian-backed propaganda outlet finds that AI is already being used to enhance messaging and expand disinformation campaigns, raising concerns about its growing impact on global influence operations.

In @sciencex.bsky.social: phys.org/news/2025-04...
Violin plot of NLI-derived topic scores for June (prior to AI adoption) and October (after AI adoption) of 2023
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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Apr 1
Here is the link to the full (open source) paper! 🔗
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar... We welcome feedback & potential collaboration focused on how to counter emerging AI-driven disinformation campaigns!
Generative propaganda: Evidence of AI’s impact from a state-backed disinformation campaign
Abstract. Can AI bolster state-backed propaganda campaigns, in practice? Growing use of AI and large language models has drawn attention to the potential f
academic.oup.com
morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Apr 1
Finding Three 📝: Even with the shift to AI, the persuasive potential and credibility of the articles persisted. This finding suggests that even in rapid scaling article production the website did not need to sacrifice its perceived authenticity or potential impact. 6/
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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Apr 1
Finding Two 📊: AI-use corresponded with greater topic breadth. By rewriting stories, the website covered more diverse subjects (from gun crime to the Ukraine invasion). Prompt leaks also suggest use of AI to rate potential materials by their alignment with campaign goals. 5/
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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Apr 1
Finding One 📈: AI use significantly increased the quantity of disinformation. This aligns with the idea that generative models reduce the cost/time of writing, editing, and curating. Once the site adopted LLM tools, weekly post counts soared. 4/
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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Apr 1
We focus on a site identified by the Clemson Forensics Hub that presented itself as a genuine U.S. news outlet but which was actually part of a Russian-affiliated influence operation. By pinpointing a transition away from human-editing to LLM-edited content, we show: 3/
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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Apr 1
There have been growing concerns about the use of large language models (LLMs) in the production of disinformation, but real-world evidence has been difficult to track. Our paper provides a direct look at a Russian-linked campaign which used AI tools to target Americans. 2/
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morganwack.bsky.social
Morgan Wack @morganwack.bsky.social · Apr 1
🚨 Excited to see our new paper out at @pnasnexus.org w/@pwarren.bsky.social, Darren Linvill, & Carl Ehrett!

Using data from a Russia-backed influence operation running puppet website DCWeekly, we show how LLMs are being used to scale global disinfo campaigns: 1/ 🧵
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
beamagistro.bsky.social
Beatrice Magistro @beamagistro.bsky.social · Mar 3
Excited to share our new article in the American Journal of Political Science (@ajpseditor.bsky.social) with @sborwein.bsky.social, @rmichaelalvarez.bsky.social, @bartbonikowski.bsky.social, & Peter Loewen

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
American Journal of Political Science | MPSA Journal | Wiley Online Library
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping labor markets and sparking political debates. Like economic globalization, AI developments promise benefits, including job creation and lower pr...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
forbidden-stories.bsky.social
Forbidden Stories @forbidden-stories.bsky.social · Feb 18
📢 #RwandaClassified : la désinformation des autorités rwandaises persiste.

Alors que le conflit en RDC s’intensifie, les réseaux de Kagame restent actifs : la guerre au Nord-Kivu et le trafic de minerais restent des sujets tabous pour le régime rwandais. 🔍
forbiddenstories.org/fr/actualite...
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
beamagistro.bsky.social
Beatrice Magistro @beamagistro.bsky.social · Jan 21
Thrilled to share my new publication w/ @morganwack.bsky.social & Kevin Aslett in Social Science Quarterly: “Silence in the Stands: Assessing the Impact of Russian State-Linked Sportswashing on Online Fan Behavior Following the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine.” onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Dec 5
How right wing media is like improv theater. My coauthor @danielletomson.bsky.social and I are really proud of this piece which builds upon ~10 years of research at UW studying the participatory nature of rumors/disinformation and Danielle’s dissertation studying right-wing influencers for 5+ years.
us.theconversation.com
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Dec 5
Right-wing media operates like #improv theater, with influencers as performers and audiences as active participants. #Researchers explain how this dynamic ecosystem shapes reality for many Americans. https://buff.ly/3CSLpm3 Danielle Lee Tomson and @katestarbird.bsky.social @uofwa.bsky.social)
How right-wing media is like improv theater
Improv theater is known for improvisation, audience participation and riffing on memes and stories circulating on social and traditional media – all hallmarks of right-wing media.
buff.ly
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
christianpipal.bsky.social
Christian Pipal @christianpipal.bsky.social · Nov 29
⏰Another opening for a PhD position in our (w @morganwack.bsky.social and @esserfrank.bsky.social ) SNF project on political social media influencers! 🥳 If you are into computational methods, social media, and political communcation, we are looking for you 🔎 All details here: tinyurl.com/44arrawh
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Oct 22
Just published a Nature comment highlighting a few of the rumors our UW team expects to see going into the Nov 5 election — from rumors that falsely frame election errors as impactful and intentional to rumors about "non citizen voters" and "suspicious behaviors". www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I’ve been studying misinformation for a decade — here are the rumours to watch out for on US election day
We can anticipate many false claims, including alleged mass voting by non-citizens or ‘suspicious vans’ outside polling booths. We should quickly counter them.
www.nature.com
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Reposted by Morgan Wack
maddyjalbert.bsky.social
Maddy Jalbert @maddyjalbert.bsky.social · Oct 19
In a new article now out in Collabora: Psychology, @rmpillai.bsky.social and I find that the mere repetition of information increases estimates of its consensus, a finding we refer to as an “illusory consensus effect.”
An Illusory Consensus Effect: The Mere Repetition of Information Increases Estimates That Others Would Believe or Already Know It
How do people estimate the prevalence of beliefs and knowledge among others? Here, we examine the hypothesis that mere repetition of information increases such perceptions of consensus — an “illusory ...
online.ucpress.edu
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