Study: High Amount of Misinformation On Wisconsin Talk Radio

Left to right: Michelle Bryant, WNOV; Pat Kreitlow, Civic Media; Rob Ferrett, WPR; Steve Scaffidi, WTMJ; Dan O’Donnell, WISN; Vicki McKenna, WIBA (Madeline Vogt for Wisconsin Watch)

In a recent study published in Wisconsin Watch, University of Wisconsin journalism students listened to six Wisconsin talk radio shows from across the political spectrum, finding that hosts often spread political misinformation.

The students categorized every opinion they heard as liberal, moderate or conservative, and fact checked every statement the hosts made.

The Badger-Herald reports the student researchers found that the stations with the largest number of listeners and advertising gave platform to the hosts who presented the biggest amounts of misinformation, according to Wisconsin Watch.

Professor at the UW School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Lewis Friedland, spoke to the impact of misinformation in the media.

“In a period where there is tremendous polarization in the country and suspicion and mistrust of people on not just both sides, but from all sides, even a modest amount of misinformation could have very negative effects on democracy,” Friedland said. 

The study found that WIBA and WISN host Vicki McKenna made the most misleading statements, with 39 inaccuracies found in four hours of programming. These statements are either unsupportable or have been proven false, according to Wisconsin Watch. 

McKenna took a special interest in the case of Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe, falsely claiming that she reduced the election integrity of absentee ballots and arranged drop boxes that permitted unmonitored and unverifiable ballot harvesting.

Each of these statements has been fact checked by the students, who said there is no proof that Wolfe committed any of the acts McKenna alleged or ever violated the law, according to Wisconsin Watch.

Those interested can find a list of all recorded statements and the study’s fact-checking methodology through its official record.

The study also followed WISN host Dan O’Donnel, finding 14 inaccuracies, WTMJ host Steve Scaffidi with 2 inaccuracies, Civic Media host Pat Kreitlow and WNOV host Michelle Bryant with 3 inaccuracies each, and WPR host Rob Ferret, the only host with 0 inaccuracies found.

Ferret is also the only host of the six that were studied whose show has been canceled since the study was conducted, according to Wisconsin Watch.

“There is an asymmetry of misinformation and disinformation in that it skews heavily towards the Republican side of the talk radio ledger,” Friedland said. “That’s been true for a long time, and it’s partly because people like Vicki McKenna and Mark Belling, two of the most listened to right wing — and I might even say radical right wing — talk show hosts in Wisconsin honestly have a reckless disregard for the truth.”

Friedland said these hosts don’t care about the truth, but instead are focused on listeners and traction, with tremendous consequences for the political life and democratic health of Wisconsin.

Friedland addressed the larger effect of misinformation on talk radio, claiming it opens people up to accepting misinformation in other aspects of the media.

“Talk radio creates an environment in which people believe literally incredible things,” Friedland said. “And then when other politicians, for example, come around and make incredible claims, people are more inclined to believe them.”