Protect your communities from PROPAGANDA

Michael Czajkowski, PhD�Director of Advocacy

Science for Georgia

Michael.Czajkowski@sci4ga.org

A presentation/workshop for

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Environmental Justice & Climate Protection Conference 2026

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(that’s you)

www.scienceforgeorgia.org

© Science for Georgia, Inc 2023

Science for Georgia

A cautionary story

Another cautionary story

Who remembers ivermectin?

• (NUMBER 4)
• Who is ivermectin for?

Who remembers ivermectin?

• (NUMBER 4)
• Is ivermectin FDA approved for humans?
• Don’t look at your phone

The Ivermectin Journey

• One likely journey
• Heard of Ivermectin
• Ivermectin is for horses
• Confirmation bias
• I hate Donald trump and people on the right.
• The people I hate are mocked for supporting a horse medicine
• I like it. It feels good.
• I agree.
• I believe ivermectin is just horse medicine, unfit for humans.
• The truth goes unfound
• By most atleast
• Relatively harmless
• Except for the people mocked

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The Ivermectin Journey

• These misunderstandings DIVIDE US

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Be Humble... You might not be “right”

• You might not be “right”

Stop “Knowing” stuff

The Truth Effect

The Truth Effect: what can we learn

• We believe what we hear
• If we learn the truth. We might revert to the misinformation belief
• Because they go hear misinformation again
• Data supports this phenomenon
• Knowledge is socially constructed
• Even though true information is just … true or not

Identity Protective Cognition

• Our beliefs are shaped BY THE PEOPLE WE RELY ON SOCIALLY

Identity Protective Cognition

• Our beliefs are shaped BY THE PEOPLE WE RELY ON SOCIALLY

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• THIS INFORMATION IS BLEAK

This is Daryl Davis

• I talk about Daryl Davis all the time

This is Daryl Davis

• I talk about Daryl Davis all the time
• Daryl convinced dozens of KKK members to leave the KKK
• Likely convinced hundreds indirectly.
• If Daryl can change the hardest minds, so can we
• THE KEY: “giving them a platform”

Here it is

Okay its over

Okay its over

• Write down
• What did you feel just then?

• 😬 😤 😨 😭

Collaborative Communication: �DO NOT REACT

• You want some one to not listen?
• You want enemies to dig their heels in?
• Well then yell at them and mock them and ridicule them. That will do it.

Collaborative Communication: �DO NOT REACT

• Behavior of “mirroring”
• I yell and accuse, you yell and accuse
• You aren’t listening
• I try to convince you you’re wrong, you try to convince me I’m wrong
• Your mind is on why I’m wrong, not why I’m right

Collaborative Communication:�Mirroring

• Behavior of “mirroring”
• I am listening and learning with you, you are listening and learning with me
• It sounds cheesy but it’s true
• I compliment some of your insights
• That’s nice, I want to trust things you say

• But don’t sacrifice your values… just emphasize what you have in common
• And don’t lie, just find things that are true and kind to say
• People can tell when you lie.. They don’t like it

Collaborative Communication:�Mirroring

Yeah, it maybe feels weird

Collaborative Communication:

Empathize with “them”

Be Humble... You might not be “right”

• You might not be “right”

Stop “Knowing” stuff

More about Collaborative Communication

• Be ON THEIR SIDE, while being honest
• Don’t admit you believe different unless you have to
• Actually try to say very little at all
• If pressed for your opinion, hedge this in open-ness to hearing new information
• (talk about belief and evidence rather than what is true)
• This isn’t a lie. (make sure it isn’t a lie…)
• Appeal to their intelligence
• BE A TEACHER NOT A DEBATER
• Joe Rogan: The attitude of always looking to learn is really something I resonate with.
• But at the end of the day he has an audience he needs to engage to make money. And that creeps in.

• Workshops using techniques from improv theater
• Protect your community from propaganda and the divisions and conflict it can create.