Episode 7: Stopping Disinformation with Josh Gryniewicz from Odd Duck

How do you talk to someone who thinks that vaccinations cause autism or Covid doesn’t exist? Spoiler alert: not by calling them stupid or beating them into submission with data. In this intriguing discussion with the Chief Narrative Officer of Odd Duck, I get a first-hand walkthrough of how we can combat mis- and disinformation by first recognizing the shared humanity of the people we’re talking to. Being data-driven isn’t just about the data. It’s also about the stories we tell with that data. 

Josh shares many resources throughout the episode:

• Read more about what misinformation is and how we can manage it in a “Post-Truth” world. 
• Learn the Art of Data-Driven Story Building. 
• Explore the work of Renee Diresta.
• Read Josh’s recommended book, “You Are Here” by Whitney Phillips and Ryan Milner
• Check out Dr. Rhea Boyd.

Josh Gryniewicz is a storyteller first and foremost. As a creative, he has applied his craft to writing, spoken word, filmmaking, comic books, and other medium. His nonfiction has been published in PopMatters, the Guardian, Huffington Post, and Medium. He founded Odd Duck in 2018 to combine his passions of storytelling and social change, where he is the Chief Narrative Officer.

Something you can do now

We disagree with people all the time. Next time it happens, see if BEFORE you point out all the ways they are wrong, you can find a fact or piece of data that you both could agree on.