The Disinfo Detox

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Matt Bailey, marketing strategist, educator, and founder of SiteLogic, to unpack the future of social media. With audiences shifting, ad dollars drying up, and creators struggling to adapt, Bailey explains why the social media industry may be reaching the end of an era—and what it means for advertisers, content creators, and the future of digital marketing.

👉 Why “the...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Dr. Anastasia Berg, PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at UC Davis, to unpack the White House’s controversial claims about acetaminophen (Tylenol), pregnancy, and autism.

In a recent press conference, President Trump and top officials announced changes to FDA drug labeling, warning pregnant women about acetaminophen use and promoting leucovorin (a cancer drug) ...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Scott Jamieson, co-founder of Inspire Citizens, to explore how global citizenship and empathy-driven education can heal toxic divisions and create a more democratic culture. In the wake of the post-Charlie Kirk assassination climate, where U.S. society revealed deep fractures, Jamieson argues that fostering empathy in schools is essential to building a more just, coll...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with John Corbally, Professor of History at Diablo Valley College, to explore the untold stories behind America’s immigrant experience. Corbally’s new book, Enriching America: A World History of 20th Century Immigrant Families, draws on the voices of 60 families—many collected from community college students in Northern California—to reveal the resilience, struggles, and t...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon is joined by five powerhouse guests to unpack the chaos, censorship, and political fallout after the murder of Charlie Kirk. From late-night TV to college campuses, the ripple effects are everywhere—and the media spin machine is working overtime.

👉 Craig Aaron (Free Press) on Jimmy Kimmel’s removal from ABC after his Kirk comments
👉 Mickey Huff (Project Censored / Ithaca College...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with John Kiriakou—whistleblower, author, journalist, and former CIA officer—for a raw and revealing conversation about the intelligence community, courage, and the costs of telling the truth.

Kiriakou made history as the first U.S. official to confirm the CIA’s use of waterboarding. For speaking out, he was sent to prison. In this powerful episode, he shares:

👉 What life i...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Andrew Tonkovich—host of Bibliocracy Radio—for a wide-ranging conversation about the books we should all be reading right now to better understand politics, power, and truth in the 21st century.

Andrew makes the case for three essential reads:
👉 The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord
👉 Neoliberalism’s War on Higher Education by Henry A. Giroux
👉 Alterna...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon is joined by Brian Dolber—Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies and volunteer organizer with Rideshare Drivers United—and Alvaro Bolainez, a rideshare driver and Vice President of Rideshare Drivers United. Together, they break down the battle over AB1340, the SEIU and Gavin Newsom’s backroom deal that cut out drivers, and the broader fight against exploitation in th...

🔥 Special Crossover Episode: The Disinfo Detox x The Cultural Studies Podcast 🔥

This week, Toby Miller hosts a powerful panel featuring Nolan Higdon, Steve Mack, and Robin Andersen, diving into some of the most pressing issues facing society today:

• The crisis in education and the collapse of democratic institutions

• Foreign policy hot spots, including Venezuela, Israel, and Gaza

• Domestic unrest, such as the Tesla protests and No K...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Mickey Huff—Director of Project Censored and Distinguished Director of the Park Center of Independent Media (PCIM) at Ithaca College—for a no-holds-barred conversation about the digital media environment as the new corporate media.

Together, they break down:
👉 Taylor Lorenz’s explosive reporting on dark money shaping Democratic Party narratives
👉 David Pakman’s...

This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Daniel Anderson, Director of the Carolina Digital Humanities and the Digital Innovation Lab at UNC, to explore the evolving role of writing in a world dominated by AI.

Together, they unpack:
👉 Why writing is more crucial than ever, even with AI tools at our fingertips
👉 How AI is changing research, creativity, and critical thinking
👉 The limits of relying o...

🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Yotam Ophir, author of Misinformation and Society, to dig into the root causes of misinformation—why we fall for it, how it spreads, and what we can actually do about it.

Together, they unpack:
👉 How human bias fuels the spread of false information
👉 Why misinformation thrives in our current media and political systems
👉 The limits of fact-checking and ...

🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Mark Blyth—The William R. Rhodes ’57 Professor of International Economics, Professor of International and Public Affairs, and Director of the Rhodes Center at Brown University—to tackle some of the biggest questions shaping our economic and political future.

Together, they unpack:
👉 Is the neoliberal era really coming to an end?
👉 What Trump’s new tariffs signal fo...

🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Neil Kraus, Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, to expose the myths driving America’s education system, the failures of neoliberal politics, and what Democrats must do if they want to stand a chance against Trumpism.

Together, they unpack:
👉 How neoliberalism reshaped education—and not for the better
👉 The false narratives bot...

🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with Trevor Griffey, VP of Legislation for the American Federation of Teachers, and Christina Ceisel, President of the California Faculty Association Fullerton Chapter, to break down what faculty in higher education should expect as they return to campus this year.

Together, they unpack:
👉 Administrative overreach and what it means for faculty autonomy
👉 The evolving ch...

🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, the Media Literacy Wrecking Crew—Nolan Higdon, Sydney Sullivan, and Dickey—tear into the wildest headlines and hidden narratives the mainstream won’t touch. From Gavin Newsom’s curated social media presence to the new vices replacing sex, booze, and smokes among Gen Z, the crew exposes how power, profit, and propaganda collide.

Inside this no-holds-barred episode:
👉 Newsom Online – What Gavin’...

🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with psychologist and science communicator Pete Etchells to debunk the biggest myths about screens, “screen addiction,” and digital doom. They dig into the real science behind how screens affect our minds, what’s hype, and what’s fact — and how you can make your screen time work for you.

Together, they unpack:
👉 Why the “screen addiction” panic is based on shaky sci...

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🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, host Nolan Higdon sits down with award-winning journalist Kevin Gosztola to break down the political persecution of Julian Assange, the global assault on press freedoms, and the chilling assassination of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif.

Together, they unpack:
👉 Why Assange’s extradition fight is a turning point for global journalism
👉 The dangerous precedent his prose...

🎙️ This week on The Disinfo Detox, hosts Nolan Higdon, Dickey, and Sydney Sullivan sit down with Emily Pfender, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher for the AMETHIST project at the Perelman School of Medicine, to uncover how influencers, misinformation, and science skepticism are reshaping reproductive health for women — especially in underrepresented communities in the U.S. and Global South.

From Instagram myths about fertility to TikTo...