Unchecked: The architecture of disinformation Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:50:48 -0400 https://unchecked.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 Curious Squid, LLC yes e18c6097-f845-5e7c-ad4a-6046a9d3fc26 Curious Squid episodic false Misinformation and disinformation thrive in today’s technology landscape, and arguably present the greatest threat to modern society. Information architecture – the practice of designing and managing digital spaces – has an opportunity to intervene. This podcast looks at disinformation from an information architecture perspective, and considers ways to expand the practice of IA to address this new reality.

 ••• 

What is Information Architecture? Information architecture is the practice of designing virtual structures – the shape and form of online spaces and digital products. When you click on a navigation menu or follow the steps in a process, you're experiencing the information architecture of a web site or digital product.

 ••• 

What is disinformation? Understanding disinformation is the purpose of this podcast. We are trying to figure out exactly what it is and what it means. If information architecture is the practice of designing virtual spaces, then disinformation is something that can occupy that space to disrupt the user's experience. Alternatively, it is a way of manipulating the space (like flooding it with irrelevant facts) to achieve an end unrelated to the space's original intention.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) information architecture, disinformation, misinformation, propaganda Curious Squid https://storage.buzzsprout.com/6wco18cqrof205b7dnu0pvb1kfor?.jpg Unchecked: The architecture of disinformation https://unchecked.buzzsprout.com Dan Brown Rachel Price Immigration and Disinformation with Qasim Rashid (S02 E01) Immigration and Disinformation with Qasim Rashid (S02 E01) Send us Fan Mail

CONTENT WARNING

Descriptions of incarceration, the treatment of detainees

SYNOPSIS

Human rights lawyer and immigration attorney Qasim Rashid joins Rachel and Dan to dismantle the myth of a clear, consistent "legal way" to immigrate. The conversation moves between misinformation about the immigration system itself and misinformation about immigrants as people, ultimately examining the bipartisan failure to counter demonizing narratives. Rachel and Dan close with the lenses of Law-Abiding Citizen and Zero-Sum Framing.

INTERVIEW WITH QASIM RASHID

LENSES

Lens 1: Law-Abiding Citizen Systems often assume users can simply intuit and follow their rules, without asking whether those rules are clearly communicated in the first place. This lens asks whether a system's apparent simplicity is real or assumed — and whether confusion or noncompliance is a design failure being  blamed on the individual.

  • How does the system communicate its rules, and can a user reasonably be expected to understand them without interpretation?
  • How easy does the system make it to be a "law-abiding citizen" within it?
  • If the system isn't communicating its rules well, is that a byproduct of messiness — or intentional?

Lens 2: Zero-Sum Framing Many systems, and the narratives built around them, implicitly frame resources, opportunity, or belonging as finite — where one group's gain necessarily means another's loss. This lens looks for where that zero-sum framing is being applied, whether it reflects reality, and who benefits from convincing people to see the world that way.

  • Where does the system (or the discourse around it) frame things in terms of scarce, competing resources?
  • Is the zero-sum trade-off actually true, or is it a rhetorical or negotiating tactic?
  • Who benefits from people believing a situation is zero-sum when it may not be?


Episode edited by Jared Landis https://www.landispodcastediting.com/

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

CONTENT WARNING

Descriptions of incarceration, the treatment of detainees

SYNOPSIS

Human rights lawyer and immigration attorney Qasim Rashid joins Rachel and Dan to dismantle the myth of a clear, consistent "legal way" to immigrate. The conversation moves between misinformation about the immigration system itself and misinformation about immigrants as people, ultimately examining the bipartisan failure to counter demonizing narratives. Rachel and Dan close with the lenses of Law-Abiding Citizen and Zero-Sum Framing.

INTERVIEW WITH QASIM RASHID

LENSES

Lens 1: Law-Abiding Citizen Systems often assume users can simply intuit and follow their rules, without asking whether those rules are clearly communicated in the first place. This lens asks whether a system's apparent simplicity is real or assumed — and whether confusion or noncompliance is a design failure being  blamed on the individual.

  • How does the system communicate its rules, and can a user reasonably be expected to understand them without interpretation?
  • How easy does the system make it to be a "law-abiding citizen" within it?
  • If the system isn't communicating its rules well, is that a byproduct of messiness — or intentional?

Lens 2: Zero-Sum Framing Many systems, and the narratives built around them, implicitly frame resources, opportunity, or belonging as finite — where one group's gain necessarily means another's loss. This lens looks for where that zero-sum framing is being applied, whether it reflects reality, and who benefits from convincing people to see the world that way.

  • Where does the system (or the discourse around it) frame things in terms of scarce, competing resources?
  • Is the zero-sum trade-off actually true, or is it a rhetorical or negotiating tactic?
  • Who benefits from people believing a situation is zero-sum when it may not be?


Episode edited by Jared Landis https://www.landispodcastediting.com/

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-19451813 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 2768 2 1 full true Qasim Rashid Dan Brown Rachel Price S02 Trailer: Reflections on Season 1, What's coming, What we hope to explore S02 Trailer: Reflections on Season 1, What's coming, What we hope to explore Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Dan and Rachel kick off Season 2 of Unchecked by looking back at what season one taught them and what's ahead. We reflect on the toll of researching disinformation. They also preview season two's research directions, including Rachel's interest in the everyday myths people unconsciously rely on and Dan's theory that there's a "big lie" at the center of every domain, plus topics they're eager to dig into next.

Edited by Jared Landis <https://www.landispodcastediting.com/>

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Dan and Rachel kick off Season 2 of Unchecked by looking back at what season one taught them and what's ahead. We reflect on the toll of researching disinformation. They also preview season two's research directions, including Rachel's interest in the everyday myths people unconsciously rely on and Dan's theory that there's a "big lie" at the center of every domain, plus topics they're eager to dig into next.

Edited by Jared Landis <https://www.landispodcastediting.com/>

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-19363619 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:00:00 -0400 1407 2 trailer false Episode 14: Disinformation and economic data, with Dr. Elise Gould Episode 14: Disinformation and economic data, with Dr. Elise Gould Send us Fan Mail

Synopsis

Dr. Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, joins Rachel and Dan to pull back the curtain on how economic data is collected, revised, and communicated — and how that process is vulnerable to political manipulation. We talk about the federal statistical agencies that produce employment and wage data, the role of transparency and revision in maintaining trust, and the pressure those institutions are under today. Rachel and Dan close with two lenses: Human vs. System Integrity and Maybe.

Interview

Lenses

Lens 1: Human vs. System Integrity

Information systems rely on some combination of built-in mechanisms and individual actors — whistleblowers, researchers, editors, external stakeholders — to maintain the integrity of their data. This lens asks where that responsibility actually lives.

  • What mechanisms are built into the system for detecting anomalies or integrity issues?
  • How much does the system rely on humans to address failures of integrity or reliability?
  • When there are gaps, inconsistencies, or suspicious patterns in the data, whose job is it to surface them?
  • What would it take for an integrity failure to go unnoticed — and how much of that risk has the system actually designed against?

Lens 2: Maybe

Drawn from the parable of the lost horse, this lens challenges the impulse to frame information as inherently good or bad news. Data systems — like dashboards and reports — routinely signal conclusions for users, even with incomplete context.

  • When presenting data as either good or bad, does the system also present the sufficient context to explain why?
  • How does the system signal urgency or alarm — and how are users empowered to specify the rules of urgency?
  • What tools does the system offer users to reach their own conclusions without pushing them to a predetermined frame?


Edited by Jared Landis (https://www.landispodcastediting.com/)

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

Synopsis

Dr. Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, joins Rachel and Dan to pull back the curtain on how economic data is collected, revised, and communicated — and how that process is vulnerable to political manipulation. We talk about the federal statistical agencies that produce employment and wage data, the role of transparency and revision in maintaining trust, and the pressure those institutions are under today. Rachel and Dan close with two lenses: Human vs. System Integrity and Maybe.

Interview

Lenses

Lens 1: Human vs. System Integrity

Information systems rely on some combination of built-in mechanisms and individual actors — whistleblowers, researchers, editors, external stakeholders — to maintain the integrity of their data. This lens asks where that responsibility actually lives.

  • What mechanisms are built into the system for detecting anomalies or integrity issues?
  • How much does the system rely on humans to address failures of integrity or reliability?
  • When there are gaps, inconsistencies, or suspicious patterns in the data, whose job is it to surface them?
  • What would it take for an integrity failure to go unnoticed — and how much of that risk has the system actually designed against?

Lens 2: Maybe

Drawn from the parable of the lost horse, this lens challenges the impulse to frame information as inherently good or bad news. Data systems — like dashboards and reports — routinely signal conclusions for users, even with incomplete context.

  • When presenting data as either good or bad, does the system also present the sufficient context to explain why?
  • How does the system signal urgency or alarm — and how are users empowered to specify the rules of urgency?
  • What tools does the system offer users to reach their own conclusions without pushing them to a predetermined frame?


Edited by Jared Landis (https://www.landispodcastediting.com/)

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-19263269 Sat, 30 May 2026 09:00:00 -0400 3625 1 14 full false Dr. Elise Gould Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 13: Disinformation and gun culture, with JJ Janflone Episode 13: Disinformation and gun culture, with JJ Janflone Send us Fan Mail

CONTENT WARNING

This episode of Unchecked deals with the sensitive topic of gun violence.

SYNOPSIS

JJ Janflone, who works on culture change and narrative strategy at Brady: United Against Gun Violence, joins Rachel and Dan to unpack the Big Lie at the center of gun violence disinformation. JJ explains how that single falsehood generates cascading misbeliefs — about storage, risk, and identity — and describes Brady's efforts to shift gun culture. Rachel identifies the lens Accidents Happen and Dan suggests the lens Wild Imagination.

INTERVIEW

LENSES

Wild Imagination

When a core premise goes unchallenged — like the idea that guns make you safer — information systems without guardrails allow users to spin that premise into increasingly untethered conclusions. The result is a cascade of misinformation that distorts risk perception and makes it nearly impossible to reason toward accurate, proportionate responses.

  • Does the system provide any framing or guardrails that help users interpret broad claims responsibly?
  • How does the system help users accurately assess where risk actually lies, rather than where they imagine it to be?
  • When users construct false or exaggerated threat scenarios, how does the system correct or contextualize them?

Accidents Happen

Once an action is taken in an information system — sharing a post, liking content, amplifying a story — it sends signals that are difficult or impossible to fully reverse. Even well-intentioned interactions can feed an algorithm in ways the user didn't intend, with consequences that outlast the original act.

  • Does the system provide a meaningful undo mechanism, and does undoing an action actually reverse its downstream effects?
  • How does the system handle users who want to signal disagreement with content without inadvertently amplifying it?
  • When users change their minds about information they've already shared or engaged with, how does the system support them in communicating that change?

(Show notes drafted by generative AI and edited by a human.)

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

CONTENT WARNING

This episode of Unchecked deals with the sensitive topic of gun violence.

SYNOPSIS

JJ Janflone, who works on culture change and narrative strategy at Brady: United Against Gun Violence, joins Rachel and Dan to unpack the Big Lie at the center of gun violence disinformation. JJ explains how that single falsehood generates cascading misbeliefs — about storage, risk, and identity — and describes Brady's efforts to shift gun culture. Rachel identifies the lens Accidents Happen and Dan suggests the lens Wild Imagination.

INTERVIEW

LENSES

Wild Imagination

When a core premise goes unchallenged — like the idea that guns make you safer — information systems without guardrails allow users to spin that premise into increasingly untethered conclusions. The result is a cascade of misinformation that distorts risk perception and makes it nearly impossible to reason toward accurate, proportionate responses.

  • Does the system provide any framing or guardrails that help users interpret broad claims responsibly?
  • How does the system help users accurately assess where risk actually lies, rather than where they imagine it to be?
  • When users construct false or exaggerated threat scenarios, how does the system correct or contextualize them?

Accidents Happen

Once an action is taken in an information system — sharing a post, liking content, amplifying a story — it sends signals that are difficult or impossible to fully reverse. Even well-intentioned interactions can feed an algorithm in ways the user didn't intend, with consequences that outlast the original act.

  • Does the system provide a meaningful undo mechanism, and does undoing an action actually reverse its downstream effects?
  • How does the system handle users who want to signal disagreement with content without inadvertently amplifying it?
  • When users change their minds about information they've already shared or engaged with, how does the system support them in communicating that change?

(Show notes drafted by generative AI and edited by a human.)

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-19113812 Sat, 02 May 2026 22:00:00 -0400 3429 1 13 full false Episode 12: Disinformation and community moderation, with Karen McGrane Episode 12: Disinformation and community moderation, with Karen McGrane Send us Fan Mail

Synopsis

Karen McGrane joins Rachel and Dan to explain Reddit from the perspective of a moderator. Reddit is the largest message board on the internet, with thousands of “sub-Reddits” – individual communities based on a topic. Karen moderates the community dedicated to UX Design, which gets hundreds of new posts every week. Rachel and Dan then explore two Lenses: Swarm and Curation Escape.

Stories

"About this Account" on X/Twitter

Big Tobacco


Interview with Karen McGrane


Lenses

Curation Escape

So much of our experience online is curated by algorithms. A set of rules – not chosen by you – governs what bubbles up into your feed. This set of rules is at the heart of most modern information systems, and can be responsible for perpetuating misinformation. They pose a disinformation risk by people who manipulate the algorithm.

  • How does the system allow users to escape the curation?
  • What role does algorithmic curation play in the system’s experience?
  • How does the system allow users to tailor the curation algorithm?


Swarm

Participants in online spaces can exhibit swarming behavior, gathering and moving as if one. Swarming groups end up performing a variety of functions – both desirable and undesirable – in an online information space. They can enforce social norms, or alienate other participants. Likewise, they can squash misinformation, or cause it to perpetuate.

  • How does the system react to swarm behavior? 
  • How does the system benefit from swarm behavior?
  • How might swarming cause harm?


Come see us at Information Architecture Conference (IAC26)

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

Synopsis

Karen McGrane joins Rachel and Dan to explain Reddit from the perspective of a moderator. Reddit is the largest message board on the internet, with thousands of “sub-Reddits” – individual communities based on a topic. Karen moderates the community dedicated to UX Design, which gets hundreds of new posts every week. Rachel and Dan then explore two Lenses: Swarm and Curation Escape.

Stories

"About this Account" on X/Twitter

Big Tobacco


Interview with Karen McGrane


Lenses

Curation Escape

So much of our experience online is curated by algorithms. A set of rules – not chosen by you – governs what bubbles up into your feed. This set of rules is at the heart of most modern information systems, and can be responsible for perpetuating misinformation. They pose a disinformation risk by people who manipulate the algorithm.

  • How does the system allow users to escape the curation?
  • What role does algorithmic curation play in the system’s experience?
  • How does the system allow users to tailor the curation algorithm?


Swarm

Participants in online spaces can exhibit swarming behavior, gathering and moving as if one. Swarming groups end up performing a variety of functions – both desirable and undesirable – in an online information space. They can enforce social norms, or alienate other participants. Likewise, they can squash misinformation, or cause it to perpetuate.

  • How does the system react to swarm behavior? 
  • How does the system benefit from swarm behavior?
  • How might swarming cause harm?


Come see us at Information Architecture Conference (IAC26)

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-18939911 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:00:00 -0400 3134 1 12 full false Karen McGrane Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 11: Disinformation and abortion, with Dr. Ushma Upadhyay Episode 11: Disinformation and abortion, with Dr. Ushma Upadhyay Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Speaking to Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, Rachel and Dan dig into misinformation about abortion – who gets them, why they get them, and how they get them. You may be surprised by some of the answers. Dr. Upadhyay describes her research around abortion safety and abortion via telehealth. Rachel proposes the lens “Retraction” and Dan leans on an old favorite, “Personas”.


STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

Y2K hype

Fraud in Minnesota: A misinformation perfect storm

 

INTERVIEW 


LENSES

⇒ Persona

Everyone makes assumptions about who participates, contributes to, or benefits from a system. Those assumptions are rarely challenged, and therefore become the source of or impetus for misinformation. This lens suggests unpacking assumptions is a crucial step in understanding the system.

  • What are your assumptions about who is engaged with your system?
  • What are your preconceived notions about who is involved?
  • When you use labels to describe your users, does everyone agree on what those labels mean?

⇒ Retraction

Publishing in formal and professional venues includes the capability to correct or retract information published there. This is a crucial part of the process, as new information can change understanding. Moreover, mistakes and misinformation need to be marked as such. This lens invites you to look at the way in which your system supports retraction.

  • What are the system’s built-in mechanisms that allow users to retract information?
  • How is retracted information treated differently in the system?
  • How does the system invite users to challenge information to kick off a retraction process?


CONFERENCE DISCOUNT CODE

Join us at the Information Architecture Conference in Philadelphia in April

Use discount code UNCHECKED to get $50 the base conference fee



_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Speaking to Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, Rachel and Dan dig into misinformation about abortion – who gets them, why they get them, and how they get them. You may be surprised by some of the answers. Dr. Upadhyay describes her research around abortion safety and abortion via telehealth. Rachel proposes the lens “Retraction” and Dan leans on an old favorite, “Personas”.


STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

Y2K hype

Fraud in Minnesota: A misinformation perfect storm

 

INTERVIEW 


LENSES

⇒ Persona

Everyone makes assumptions about who participates, contributes to, or benefits from a system. Those assumptions are rarely challenged, and therefore become the source of or impetus for misinformation. This lens suggests unpacking assumptions is a crucial step in understanding the system.

  • What are your assumptions about who is engaged with your system?
  • What are your preconceived notions about who is involved?
  • When you use labels to describe your users, does everyone agree on what those labels mean?

⇒ Retraction

Publishing in formal and professional venues includes the capability to correct or retract information published there. This is a crucial part of the process, as new information can change understanding. Moreover, mistakes and misinformation need to be marked as such. This lens invites you to look at the way in which your system supports retraction.

  • What are the system’s built-in mechanisms that allow users to retract information?
  • How is retracted information treated differently in the system?
  • How does the system invite users to challenge information to kick off a retraction process?


CONFERENCE DISCOUNT CODE

Join us at the Information Architecture Conference in Philadelphia in April

Use discount code UNCHECKED to get $50 the base conference fee



_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-18684389 Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:00:00 -0500 3645 1 11 full false Dr. Ushma Upadhyay Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 10: Disinformation and nutrition, with Dr. Amelia Finaret Episode 10: Disinformation and nutrition, with Dr. Amelia Finaret Send us Fan Mail

Synopsis

For the 10th episode of Unchecked, Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Amelia B. Finaret, food economist and clinical dietitian about the state of nutrition misinformation. With the release of the latest dietary guidelines – some of which are not founded on sound nutrition science – we take a look at both the classic and newer myths around food. Dan uses the discussion to arrive at the lens of Making Hot Dogs and Rachel applies Diet Culture to our work as UX designers.

Stories

Robert Caro on Robert Moses

AI-Generated Disinformation in Europe

Interview with Amelia Finaret

Lenses

Diet Culture

  • How does the system send signals about the user's "goodness" based on what they are consuming or acting on?
  • How does the system reward “good” behavior and penalize “bad” behavior? 
  • How does the system decide what is good or bad? Who gets to make that decision, whose world view is reflected in that framework?

Making Hot Dogs

  • How does the system process original source material? 
  • What role does it play in the "supply chain" of information?
  • How recognizable is the original source material in the system’s content?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

Synopsis

For the 10th episode of Unchecked, Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Amelia B. Finaret, food economist and clinical dietitian about the state of nutrition misinformation. With the release of the latest dietary guidelines – some of which are not founded on sound nutrition science – we take a look at both the classic and newer myths around food. Dan uses the discussion to arrive at the lens of Making Hot Dogs and Rachel applies Diet Culture to our work as UX designers.

Stories

Robert Caro on Robert Moses

AI-Generated Disinformation in Europe

Interview with Amelia Finaret

Lenses

Diet Culture

  • How does the system send signals about the user's "goodness" based on what they are consuming or acting on?
  • How does the system reward “good” behavior and penalize “bad” behavior? 
  • How does the system decide what is good or bad? Who gets to make that decision, whose world view is reflected in that framework?

Making Hot Dogs

  • How does the system process original source material? 
  • What role does it play in the "supply chain" of information?
  • How recognizable is the original source material in the system’s content?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-18480663 Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:00:00 -0500 3260 1 10 full false Dr. Amelia Finaret Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 9: Disinformation and climate change, with Zanagee Artis Episode 9: Disinformation and climate change, with Zanagee Artis Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Zanagee Artis, a climate advocate and educator with Natural Resources Defense Council, joins Rachel and Dan to talk about disinformation in arctic and coastal drilling. Zanagee describes the challenges of addressing disinformation when the time horizons of climate research spans decades. Inspired by this discussion, Rachel coins the lens of Time Feel. Dan, impressed by efforts to close the physical distance between policymakers and drilling in the arctic, suggests the lens of Distance.


STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

White House destruction photo

Black Death poem


INTERVIEW WITH ZANAGEE ARTIS


LENSES

Distance

The gap between a personal context and the context of the information creates an opportunity for misinformation. (e.g. global warming isn't real when it's snowing in my town).

  • How does the system help users bridge the gap between their personal context and other contexts?
  • How is the information contained in the system distanced from the person consuming it? How does the system close the gap?
  • How much does the system expect users to close the gap between themselves and the information?

Time Feel

In music, time feel is how the musician interprets time while playing. More than rhythm or beat, it’s how the music creates a feeling of time passing. 

  • How does the system treat the passage of time?
  • How does the system handle time horizons and the differing perceptions of speed?
  • How does this thing support or not support the potential variations in time?
  • What role does urgency play in the system?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Zanagee Artis, a climate advocate and educator with Natural Resources Defense Council, joins Rachel and Dan to talk about disinformation in arctic and coastal drilling. Zanagee describes the challenges of addressing disinformation when the time horizons of climate research spans decades. Inspired by this discussion, Rachel coins the lens of Time Feel. Dan, impressed by efforts to close the physical distance between policymakers and drilling in the arctic, suggests the lens of Distance.


STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

White House destruction photo

Black Death poem


INTERVIEW WITH ZANAGEE ARTIS


LENSES

Distance

The gap between a personal context and the context of the information creates an opportunity for misinformation. (e.g. global warming isn't real when it's snowing in my town).

  • How does the system help users bridge the gap between their personal context and other contexts?
  • How is the information contained in the system distanced from the person consuming it? How does the system close the gap?
  • How much does the system expect users to close the gap between themselves and the information?

Time Feel

In music, time feel is how the musician interprets time while playing. More than rhythm or beat, it’s how the music creates a feeling of time passing. 

  • How does the system treat the passage of time?
  • How does the system handle time horizons and the differing perceptions of speed?
  • How does this thing support or not support the potential variations in time?
  • What role does urgency play in the system?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-18371396 Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0500 3016 1 9 full false Zanagee Artis Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 8: Disinformation and gun violence, with Nick Suplina Episode 8: Disinformation and gun violence, with Nick Suplina Send us Fan Mail

CONTENT WARNING

This episode of Unchecked deals with the sensitive topic of gun violence.


SYNOPSIS

Nick Suplina, Senior VP for Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety joins Rachel and Dan to talk about the long-standing and persistent disinformation campaign by the gun lobby. Nick highlights the main messages and techniques in use, and we explore the challenges of celebrating prevention. Rachel describes the Lens of Despair and Dan digs into the Lens of Status Quo.


STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

Did moldy bread cause the Salem witch trials?

Pushing back against disinformation


INTERVIEW WITH NICK SUPLINA


LENSES

Lens of Despair

  • How does the system alleviate or exacerbate or manipulate the feeling that nothing can be improved?
  • How does the system create a sense of hope?
  • How does the system intentionally give agency to its users?

Lens of Status Quo

  • What role does status quo play in this domain? What is this system’s role relative to the status quo?
  • How does the system discourage users from questioning the status quo?


_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

CONTENT WARNING

This episode of Unchecked deals with the sensitive topic of gun violence.


SYNOPSIS

Nick Suplina, Senior VP for Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety joins Rachel and Dan to talk about the long-standing and persistent disinformation campaign by the gun lobby. Nick highlights the main messages and techniques in use, and we explore the challenges of celebrating prevention. Rachel describes the Lens of Despair and Dan digs into the Lens of Status Quo.


STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

Did moldy bread cause the Salem witch trials?

Pushing back against disinformation


INTERVIEW WITH NICK SUPLINA


LENSES

Lens of Despair

  • How does the system alleviate or exacerbate or manipulate the feeling that nothing can be improved?
  • How does the system create a sense of hope?
  • How does the system intentionally give agency to its users?

Lens of Status Quo

  • What role does status quo play in this domain? What is this system’s role relative to the status quo?
  • How does the system discourage users from questioning the status quo?


_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-18186237 Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:00 -0500 3832 1 8 full false Episode 7: Disinformation and climate culture, with Brandon Schauer Episode 7: Disinformation and climate culture, with Brandon Schauer Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Brandon Schauer from Rare, a conservation nonprofit, talks to Rachel and Dan about ways to modify behavior to help save the planet. Climate change and its solutions are often too big for an individual person to connect with, so Brandon has developed strategies to meet people where they are. These strategies short-circuit climate misinformation altogether.

STORIES

Banana propaganda

NPS, the continuing saga

INTERVIEW

LENSES

Social Awareness

Everyone can be part of a solution to large problems, and the ecosystem can help users understand how they may be connected to others.

  • How does your system help people understand they are not alone?
  • How does your system prioritize meaningful connection over gamified social metrics?

Hyperobjects

Based on the concept from Timothy Morton, hyperobjects are concepts that are so big they are difficult for people to understand them fully. Information ecosystems may be connected to or related to hyperobjects, introducing specific challenges.

  • How does the structure of your system help users focus on the most relevant part of a large problem space?
  • How does the structure of your system render information at human scale?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Brandon Schauer from Rare, a conservation nonprofit, talks to Rachel and Dan about ways to modify behavior to help save the planet. Climate change and its solutions are often too big for an individual person to connect with, so Brandon has developed strategies to meet people where they are. These strategies short-circuit climate misinformation altogether.

STORIES

Banana propaganda

NPS, the continuing saga

INTERVIEW

LENSES

Social Awareness

Everyone can be part of a solution to large problems, and the ecosystem can help users understand how they may be connected to others.

  • How does your system help people understand they are not alone?
  • How does your system prioritize meaningful connection over gamified social metrics?

Hyperobjects

Based on the concept from Timothy Morton, hyperobjects are concepts that are so big they are difficult for people to understand them fully. Information ecosystems may be connected to or related to hyperobjects, introducing specific challenges.

  • How does the structure of your system help users focus on the most relevant part of a large problem space?
  • How does the structure of your system render information at human scale?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-18009086 Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400 3338 1 7 full false Episode 6: Disinformation and its consequences, with Prof. Claire Wardle Episode 6: Disinformation and its consequences, with Prof. Claire Wardle Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Dr. Claire Wardle is a disinformation expert and communications professor at Cornell University. She joins Rachel and Dan to talk about the history of disinformation study, how new technology introduces new challenges, and about how the information ecosystem might change in the future. She offers insights into the psychology of disinformation. From the conversation, Rachel elaborates on the lens of Friction, and Dan talks about a lens he can only call “Middle of the night.” 

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

The Propaganda of Hearst and Pulitzer

Bedlam and Squalor and Worse, Oh My

INTERVIEW

LENSES

Friction

For designers, "friction" represents how much the experience intrudes on consuming information or completing tasks. Experiences increase the intrusion to discourage destructive actions (like deleting important information). Additionally, it is often said that lies are “low friction” and truth is “high friction”. That is, understanding and internalizing a lie is less cognitive demanding than doing so with the truth. 

  • How does the system use friction to engage users’ critical thinking skills? 
  • How does the system reduce the friction on high quality information?
  • How does the system titrate the amount of friction in the experience relative to the quality of information?

Middle of the night

Users are most susceptible to disinformation when they are at their most vulnerable, like in the middle of the night with a health scare.

  • How does the system support users who are agitated and vulnerable?
  • How does the format of the information take into account a user who is agitated or vulnerable?
  • How would the system fare if it catered to someone using it in an extreme scenario that prioritized, for example, efficiency or relatability or reassurance?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Dr. Claire Wardle is a disinformation expert and communications professor at Cornell University. She joins Rachel and Dan to talk about the history of disinformation study, how new technology introduces new challenges, and about how the information ecosystem might change in the future. She offers insights into the psychology of disinformation. From the conversation, Rachel elaborates on the lens of Friction, and Dan talks about a lens he can only call “Middle of the night.” 

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

The Propaganda of Hearst and Pulitzer

Bedlam and Squalor and Worse, Oh My

INTERVIEW

LENSES

Friction

For designers, "friction" represents how much the experience intrudes on consuming information or completing tasks. Experiences increase the intrusion to discourage destructive actions (like deleting important information). Additionally, it is often said that lies are “low friction” and truth is “high friction”. That is, understanding and internalizing a lie is less cognitive demanding than doing so with the truth. 

  • How does the system use friction to engage users’ critical thinking skills? 
  • How does the system reduce the friction on high quality information?
  • How does the system titrate the amount of friction in the experience relative to the quality of information?

Middle of the night

Users are most susceptible to disinformation when they are at their most vulnerable, like in the middle of the night with a health scare.

  • How does the system support users who are agitated and vulnerable?
  • How does the format of the information take into account a user who is agitated or vulnerable?
  • How would the system fare if it catered to someone using it in an extreme scenario that prioritized, for example, efficiency or relatability or reassurance?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-17825372 Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0400 3404 1 6 full false Dr. Claire Wardle Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 5: Disinformation and cognitive bias, with David Dylan Thomas Episode 5: Disinformation and cognitive bias, with David Dylan Thomas Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS
David Dylan Thomas joins Rachel and Dan to talk about cognitive biases. David explains the fundamental attribution error, the framing effect, and the confirmation bias. All of these contribute to a skewed perception in which a person’s misconceptions about the world can be reinforced or exploited. The conversation leads Rachel to suggest the lens of manipulation and Dan the lens of belonging.

+ + +

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

Mary Toft

AI Policy

+ + +

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID DYLAN THOMAS

+ + +

LENSES

Manipulation

Content can manipulate a person’s hope and joy, and anger and fear, triggering a physiological reaction. But the content of a system is not solely responsible for this effect on users.

  • What role does the ecosystem play in framing and presenting information in a way to garner an emotional response?
  • How might someone use the system to elicit a powerful emotion?
  • What emotions is the system trying to exploit?
  • How does the system measure and/or classify information based on its level of physiological activation?

Belonging

The intent of disinformation is often to make someone feel like they belong to a community.

  • What role does belonging play in the system?
  • What aspects of the system (labeling, categorization) create a sense of belonging?
  • How does the system take advantage of a person belonging to it?
  • How does the system model users as information objects?
  • What is the emotional component of the relationships represented in the information space?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS
David Dylan Thomas joins Rachel and Dan to talk about cognitive biases. David explains the fundamental attribution error, the framing effect, and the confirmation bias. All of these contribute to a skewed perception in which a person’s misconceptions about the world can be reinforced or exploited. The conversation leads Rachel to suggest the lens of manipulation and Dan the lens of belonging.

+ + +

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

Mary Toft

AI Policy

+ + +

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID DYLAN THOMAS

+ + +

LENSES

Manipulation

Content can manipulate a person’s hope and joy, and anger and fear, triggering a physiological reaction. But the content of a system is not solely responsible for this effect on users.

  • What role does the ecosystem play in framing and presenting information in a way to garner an emotional response?
  • How might someone use the system to elicit a powerful emotion?
  • What emotions is the system trying to exploit?
  • How does the system measure and/or classify information based on its level of physiological activation?

Belonging

The intent of disinformation is often to make someone feel like they belong to a community.

  • What role does belonging play in the system?
  • What aspects of the system (labeling, categorization) create a sense of belonging?
  • How does the system take advantage of a person belonging to it?
  • How does the system model users as information objects?
  • What is the emotional component of the relationships represented in the information space?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-17646947 Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400 3609 1 5 full true David Dylan Thomas Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 4: Disinformation and federal information spaces with Dana Chisnell Episode 4: Disinformation and federal information spaces with Dana Chisnell Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS
Dana Chisnell joins Dan and Rachel to talk about information in civic tech. Dana discusses her experience with voting systems, immigration, and homeland security. New executive orders on communicating about people directly affected Dana’s job. She explains her rationale for stepping down from her executive position. Rachel coins the lens “#influencers” and Dan describes the lens “Messaging.”

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

The AIDS crisis

Dan’s son was in a musical called Falsettos and it brought back many memories about growing up in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s.

Salmon fishing in the Pacific Northwest

Rachel notes a mainstream use of the term “misinformation” in, of all places, a local controversy over salmon fishing.

INTERVIEW WITH DANA CHISNELL

LENSES

#Influencers

Information spaces rely on “elders” or authorities to give information merit. Designing a system needs to acknowledge that influencers have long been part of information spaces, even before they were digital.

  • How does the system rely on influencers?
  • How does the system enable influencers without giving them too much power?

Messaging

Microcontent in systems are meant to guide users and we’ve long focused on the the clarity and usability. In modern interconnected information environments even the smallest misunderstanding can snowball into full-fledged misinformation.

  • How might microcopy spawn misinformation?
  • What might people extrapolate from otherwise simple or harmless system messages?
  • Ask yourself: What if someone posts this message on Reddit?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS
Dana Chisnell joins Dan and Rachel to talk about information in civic tech. Dana discusses her experience with voting systems, immigration, and homeland security. New executive orders on communicating about people directly affected Dana’s job. She explains her rationale for stepping down from her executive position. Rachel coins the lens “#influencers” and Dan describes the lens “Messaging.”

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

The AIDS crisis

Dan’s son was in a musical called Falsettos and it brought back many memories about growing up in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s.

Salmon fishing in the Pacific Northwest

Rachel notes a mainstream use of the term “misinformation” in, of all places, a local controversy over salmon fishing.

INTERVIEW WITH DANA CHISNELL

LENSES

#Influencers

Information spaces rely on “elders” or authorities to give information merit. Designing a system needs to acknowledge that influencers have long been part of information spaces, even before they were digital.

  • How does the system rely on influencers?
  • How does the system enable influencers without giving them too much power?

Messaging

Microcontent in systems are meant to guide users and we’ve long focused on the the clarity and usability. In modern interconnected information environments even the smallest misunderstanding can snowball into full-fledged misinformation.

  • How might microcopy spawn misinformation?
  • What might people extrapolate from otherwise simple or harmless system messages?
  • Ask yourself: What if someone posts this message on Reddit?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-17541927 Mon, 21 Jul 2025 17:00:00 -0400 2877 1 4 full false Dana Chisnell Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 3: Disinformation and vaccines with Dr. Adam Ratner Episode 3: Disinformation and vaccines with Dr. Adam Ratner Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS
Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Adam Ratner, author of the new book Booster Shots, about the misinformation he encounters as a pediatric infectious disease specialist. We discuss the distinctions between vaccine hesitancy and being anti-vax, and how misinformation has an impact beyond individual healthcare. Dan uses the discussion to highlight a new “lens” called double-tagging, and Rachel is inspired to establish the lens “frenzy.”

__________

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

The Fifth Column

Rachel describes how the US used the fictional threat of a “fifth column” to bolster their argument for Japanese internment camps.

Reciprocal Tariffs

Dan highlights some of the more subtle and insidious misinformation about Trump’s tariffs.

__________

INTERVIEW WITH DR ADAM RATNER

__________

LENSES

Double-tagging

Seemingly innocuous labels can be turned into misinformation by applying them in a way that is technically accurate, but twists the meaning of the label. Tagging anti-vax information with the label “vaccines” is misleading, and undermines the integrity of the system.

  • How might tags and classification schemes be co-opted to threaten the system’s integrity?
  • How does the system’s classification scheme adapt to deal with neutral terms that have become loaded?

Frenzy

Information systems have a responsibility to help users understand what’s truly important and/or urgent. Systems must avoid contributing to the frenzy of information.

  • How does the system help participants prioritize without causing a frenzy of information? 
  • How does the system help participants feel calm and informed?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS
Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Adam Ratner, author of the new book Booster Shots, about the misinformation he encounters as a pediatric infectious disease specialist. We discuss the distinctions between vaccine hesitancy and being anti-vax, and how misinformation has an impact beyond individual healthcare. Dan uses the discussion to highlight a new “lens” called double-tagging, and Rachel is inspired to establish the lens “frenzy.”

__________

STORIES OF DISINFORMATION

The Fifth Column

Rachel describes how the US used the fictional threat of a “fifth column” to bolster their argument for Japanese internment camps.

Reciprocal Tariffs

Dan highlights some of the more subtle and insidious misinformation about Trump’s tariffs.

__________

INTERVIEW WITH DR ADAM RATNER

__________

LENSES

Double-tagging

Seemingly innocuous labels can be turned into misinformation by applying them in a way that is technically accurate, but twists the meaning of the label. Tagging anti-vax information with the label “vaccines” is misleading, and undermines the integrity of the system.

  • How might tags and classification schemes be co-opted to threaten the system’s integrity?
  • How does the system’s classification scheme adapt to deal with neutral terms that have become loaded?

Frenzy

Information systems have a responsibility to help users understand what’s truly important and/or urgent. Systems must avoid contributing to the frenzy of information.

  • How does the system help participants prioritize without causing a frenzy of information? 
  • How does the system help participants feel calm and informed?

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-17297642 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 16:00:00 -0400 3132 1 3 full false Dr. Adam Ratner Dan Brown Rachel Price Episode 2: Disinformation and civic tech, with Cyd Harrell Episode 2: Disinformation and civic tech, with Cyd Harrell Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Dan and Rachel talk with Cyd Harrell about the challenges of providing information to citizens that is accurate and accessible, even when it needs to be official and formal. Rachel discusses the Accuracy as a lens for evaluating information ecosystems. Dan explains the lens Accountability.


EPISODE CONTENTS

Stories of Disinformation

Dan describes misinformation from the Bush administration that provided the impetus for the US invasion of Iraq

Rachel describes how the US National Park Rangers handle messaging guidelines from the Trump administration

Interview with Cyd Harrell

Lenses

Accuracy

It turns out accuracy is a spectrum, and sometimes information is "accurate enough" for the purposes of the people using it. At the same time, some domains require information that is precise, even when that isn't required by all users.

  • How does the system define and uphold an acceptable threshold for accuracy? 
  • How does the system ensure information is precise? 

Accountable

When information is held accountable, it is subjected to outside critique and validation. Perfectly closed systems prevent information from being scrutinized. But also, systems that appear open can be compromised.

  • How does the system encourage sources to be accountable for their contributions? 
  • How does the system enable outside criticism and give it equal weight to the original contributions?


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host
  • Emily Duncan, Editor

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

SYNOPSIS

Dan and Rachel talk with Cyd Harrell about the challenges of providing information to citizens that is accurate and accessible, even when it needs to be official and formal. Rachel discusses the Accuracy as a lens for evaluating information ecosystems. Dan explains the lens Accountability.


EPISODE CONTENTS

Stories of Disinformation

Dan describes misinformation from the Bush administration that provided the impetus for the US invasion of Iraq

Rachel describes how the US National Park Rangers handle messaging guidelines from the Trump administration

Interview with Cyd Harrell

Lenses

Accuracy

It turns out accuracy is a spectrum, and sometimes information is "accurate enough" for the purposes of the people using it. At the same time, some domains require information that is precise, even when that isn't required by all users.

  • How does the system define and uphold an acceptable threshold for accuracy? 
  • How does the system ensure information is precise? 

Accountable

When information is held accountable, it is subjected to outside critique and validation. Perfectly closed systems prevent information from being scrutinized. But also, systems that appear open can be compromised.

  • How does the system encourage sources to be accountable for their contributions? 
  • How does the system enable outside criticism and give it equal weight to the original contributions?


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host
  • Emily Duncan, Editor

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-17027907 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0400 3340 1 2 full true Episode 1: Disinformation and healthcare with Susannah Fox Episode 1: Disinformation and healthcare with Susannah Fox Send us Fan Mail

Stories of Disinformation

Rachel told the story of disinformation in ancient Rome: Octavian’s campaign against Mark Antony.

Dan recounted the story of how the Department of Homeland Security is manipulating search engine results… Or are they?


Interview with Susannah Fox


Lenses

Interrogable

Information ecosystems sometimes keep participants in the dark, preventing them from understanding more about the information conveyed. While opacity in a system can make it easier to understand, preventing users from becoming disoriented or overwhelmed, it also does not invite users to think critically about the information presented.

  • How does the system invite users to interrogate the information being conveyed?
  • In other words, how does the system make the "invisible" visible, so that it can be interrogated?

Self-Regulating

In peer-to-peer patient support communities, there are mechanisms that allow community members to indicate the reliability of posted information. If online spaces are like gardens, they should be community gardens, where any participant can contribute to the health of the information. 

  • How does your system allow participants to regulate the information within the system?

+ + +

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host
  • Emily Duncan, Editor

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot


_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

Stories of Disinformation

Rachel told the story of disinformation in ancient Rome: Octavian’s campaign against Mark Antony.

Dan recounted the story of how the Department of Homeland Security is manipulating search engine results… Or are they?


Interview with Susannah Fox


Lenses

Interrogable

Information ecosystems sometimes keep participants in the dark, preventing them from understanding more about the information conveyed. While opacity in a system can make it easier to understand, preventing users from becoming disoriented or overwhelmed, it also does not invite users to think critically about the information presented.

  • How does the system invite users to interrogate the information being conveyed?
  • In other words, how does the system make the "invisible" visible, so that it can be interrogated?

Self-Regulating

In peer-to-peer patient support communities, there are mechanisms that allow community members to indicate the reliability of posted information. If online spaces are like gardens, they should be community gardens, where any participant can contribute to the health of the information. 

  • How does your system allow participants to regulate the information within the system?

+ + +

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host
  • Emily Duncan, Editor

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot


_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-16942347 Tue, 08 Apr 2025 20:00:00 -0400 3973 1 1 full false Pilot - Introducing Unchecked Pilot - Introducing Unchecked Send us Fan Mail

Introducing Unchecked, the podcast about the architecture of disinformation. Exaggerations, misinformation, and falsehoods seem to be everywhere these days. No domain, no online space, no information ecosystem is safe from this invasive species. Dan and Rachel, two professional information architects, turn their attention to this growing threat in the hopes of developing strategies and methods for building better systems.

____________________________________________

Topics:

  • Snopes teaches us the challenge of checking sources
  • Disinformation in history: The role of misinformation in spreading influenza in 1918
  • Disinformation today: LA fires and water “shortages”
  • Defining disinformation
  • Defining information architecture, and positioning it relative to disinformation
  • Our objectives for this podcast

-

Sources:

-

Personnel:

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host
  • Emily Duncan, Editor

-

Music:

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Send us Fan Mail

Introducing Unchecked, the podcast about the architecture of disinformation. Exaggerations, misinformation, and falsehoods seem to be everywhere these days. No domain, no online space, no information ecosystem is safe from this invasive species. Dan and Rachel, two professional information architects, turn their attention to this growing threat in the hopes of developing strategies and methods for building better systems.

____________________________________________

Topics:

  • Snopes teaches us the challenge of checking sources
  • Disinformation in history: The role of misinformation in spreading influenza in 1918
  • Disinformation today: LA fires and water “shortages”
  • Defining disinformation
  • Defining information architecture, and positioning it relative to disinformation
  • Our objectives for this podcast

-

Sources:

-

Personnel:

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host
  • Emily Duncan, Editor

-

Music:

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Personnel

  • Dan Brown, Host
  • Rachel Price, Host

Music

  • Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

_____________________________________________________

Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

]]> Curious Squid Buzzsprout-16741915 Wed, 05 Mar 2025 17:00:00 -0500 2264 1 full false