MIDTERMS – Fake News & Election Results

Issues, Opinion, and Government Interview Series

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, I’m your host Paul Vogelzang and this is episode 279

On NOVEMBER 6th 2018 the United States will hold elections for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress and there is much to be concerned about in these times. These lower house seats are contested every two years, both alongside the presidential race and in midterm elections. There will also be 35 seats up for grabs in the Senate, the upper chamber, which holds elections every two years for about a third of its six-year positions.

Those elections, and the votes that will determine their results matter.

But, there are many in The Not Old Better audience that may be wondering whether their vote will count. Will my vote matter? Won’t the social media bots determine the election? What about Fake News?

Well, our guest today, Prof Brendan Nyhan will tell us that based on his research from the University of Michigan, it is not easy to influence or change people’s votes in an election.

As a matter of fact, according to Prof Nyhan, the answer is that a growing number of studies conclude that most forms of political persuasion seem to have little effect at all.

Learn more about this episode of The Not Old Better Show at https://notold-better.com