Ethan Porter

BJPolS abstract discussing the challenges and proposal of a new typology for assessing citizen competence in sustaining democracy. The text addresses empirical data and suggests a solutions-oriented, systemic approach rather than individual-level interventions.

From September 2025 -

Rethinking Citizen Competence: A New Theoretical and Empirical Framework - cup.org/3I85Zlp

- @stevenklein.bsky.social & @ethanvporter.bsky.social

#OpenAccess

The Reputational Penalty: How Fact-Checking Can Penalize Those Who Spread Misinformation - Political Behavior Whether or not political leaders pay a price for spreading misinformation has profound implications for democracy. In this paper, we identify the conditions under which corrections of misinformation c...

Fact-checks improve accuracy. But can they penalize spreaders of misinfo? At @polbehavior.bsky.social, Jacob Ausubel, Annika Davies and I show that the answer is yes--sometimes. Unknown misinfo producers can be penalized, but well-known figures get off. Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Debunking “When Prophecy Fails” In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....

When 'When Prophecy Fails' Fails:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

(h/t @ethanvporter.bsky.social )

it would be hilarious and cosmically correct in the year 2025 for a canadian team to win the world series

toronto is america’s team

On October 21 at 4 PM, I hope you will join me, @gwiddp.bsky.social and The New Republic at GW for "The State of Democracy in Trump's America: Year One," featuring @ryanenos.bsky.social + others discussing U.S. democracy. Ro Khanna is keynoting! Space is limited. RSVP:
lnkd.in/euqqNB9s

Do fact-checks really work against misinformation? A recent study shows that fact-checking reduces false belief in misinformation

Study shows that fact-checking reduces false belief in misinformation.

A 2023 @bjpols.bsky.social article by Alexander Coppock, Kimberly Gross, @ethanvporter.bsky.social, @emilythorson.bsky.social & @thomasjwood.bsky.social has been referenced by @3streamsblog.bsky.social.

https://cup.org/3WdASby

🚨 new paper out w/ @simonchauchard.bsky.social in BJPS @bjpols.bsky.social on the link between misinformation and religiosity- does religious belief cause people to endorse more misinformation? And if so, what can we do about it?

thread below ⬇️

Q & A with the New Co-Directors of GW’s Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics | GW Today | The George Washington University As co-directors, Bailard and Porter aim to strengthen IDDP’s role in supporting informed public dialogue.

Curious to know about where IDDP is headed? In a Q&A with GW Today, @catiebailard.bsky.social and @ethanvporter.bsky.social spoke about their vision for the Institute. Read it at gwtoday.gwu.edu/q-new-co-directors-gws-institute-data-democracy-and-politics.

About | Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics (IDDP) | Columbian College of Arts & Sciences | The George Washington University IDDP’s mission is to help the public, journalists, and policymakers understand digital media’s influence on public dialogue and opinion.

Our first post! And what better way to mark this occasion than by announcing the start of a new chapter at IDDP. Last month @catiebailard.bsky.social and @ethanvporter.bsky.social stepped in as the Institute's Co-Director's. Read their full statement at iddp.gwu.edu/about.

‼️ New paper! In "Rethinking Citizen Competence," Steven Klein and I argue that common concerns about citizen competence do not reflect recent evidence, especially in the misinfo + persuasion literatures. We're more competent than we give ourselves credit for. Link: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Some people find politics interesting. Others do not. In a new paper, I show that appealing to MEANING increases political interest. In 6 experiments, connecting what people find meaningful in their lives to politics increases political interest. Link: osf.io/preprints/so...

Today, @catiebailard.bsky.social and I take the reins at GW's Institute for Data, Democracy + Politics! We'll work to make IDDP a one-stop shop for research on misinfo, platform manipulation, and threats to democratic ideals. To follow our work + learn about opportunities, visit: bit.ly/45GLggi

Bard president Leon Botstein says Trump’s campaign against colleges follows ‘a classic antisemitic routine’ Botstein, born in 1946 in Europe to Holocaust survivors, has led the liberal arts college for 50 years.

Bard president Leon Botstein says Trump’s campaign against colleges follows ‘a classic antisemitic routine’ forward.com/fast-forward...

Micro Sabbatical | Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics (IDDP) | Columbian College of Arts & Sciences | The George Washington University Micro-sabbaticals at GW’s Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics (IDDP) provide a 2-4 week-long visit to IDDP.

Cool "micro-sabbatical" opportunity for tenured or tenure-track faculty at GW’s Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics (IDDP).

A 2023 NHB paper concluded that corrections of science-relevant misinformation are, on average, ineffective. Our response (in press) challenges this conclusion, showing why corrections *are* effective, and why considering measurement is important:
🔗 osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/5)

Do citizens have the capabilities required for democracy? The standard story is that empirical research debunks normative democratic theory. With @ethanvporter.bsky.social, we argue for a better framework and show empirical research supports citizen capacities. Forthcoming in @bjpols.bsky.social

Literally describing themselves as occupying a blue state like hostile territory with the military and federal forces.

this is a great paper. i'd like to read, similarly, "A Strategic Theory of Economics"

must be incredibly frustrating and disheartening to have federal funding that was promised to you for important work suddenly and arbitrarily ripped away

Misinformation research continues to be urgent science By one account, roughly 70% of Americans regard misinformation as a major threat, outpacing fears about climate change and infectious disease (1). This is true although the current and longer-term imp...

Important message from @ethanvporter.bsky.social @aaronshaw.bsky.social @emmaspiro.bsky.social

“NSF has accepted a dangerous myth that misinformation research (and research more generally) is really just partisan activism […] Nothing could be further from the truth”

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

‘The View’ Told to Tone Down Trump Bashing by ABC News Boss Multiple sources shared details with the Daily Beast about a meeting in which the ABC News president delivered a message that left the co-hosts unnerved.

Dangerous to democracy www.thedailybeast.com/the-view-tol...

‼️ Two new post-docs at GW! Both affiliated with the Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics, one will be more computational, the other more experimental. Links: www.gwu.jobs/postings/119...
and
www.gwu.jobs/postings/119...
Spread the word!

There's this old joke: "War is how Americans learn geography."

I guess DOGE is how Americans learn what government does.

Lots of discussion about fact-checks--but what do they actually DO? In a new working paper, Jacob Ausubel, Annika Davies and I show that they improve belief accuracy + penalize leaders who spread misinfo--*IF* the leader is unknown bit.ly/3WraNGs

My take on the Meta announcement @npr.org in coverage from @bobbyallyn.bsky.social www.npr.org/2025/01/07/n...

*175 years later* Hang on, the Camptown Race Track is five miles long? That seems awfully long for a race track!

Improving debriefing practices for participants in social science experiments Abstract. Social science experiments often expose participants to false, deceptive, or otherwise harmful content. In an effort to mitigate the effects of s

What's the best way to debrief study participants? At
@pnasnexus.org, Katie Clayton, @yamilrvelez.bsky.social, @thomasjwood.bsky.social and I introduce a new debriefing method that leaves participants much better off than standard debriefs. Especially relevant for misinfo research. bit.ly/41i19sU