Ladies Stay Safe, pt. 5: The Super Bowl Trafficking Myth I Helped Spread
Why does the Super Bowl sex trafficking myth persist, despite repeated debunking? In the miniseries finale, Cristen unravels this sex trafficking myth she helped spread. So, why did major sporting eve...
6 Jan 202526min
Ladies Stay Safe, pt. 4: Satanic Daycare Panic
Why were daycare centers the prime targets of the 1980s Satanic Panic, and how did it blow up into America's longest and most expensive criminal trial? Cristen unravels the anti-cult anxieties, parano...
27 Des 202441min
Ladies Stay Safe, pt. 3: Anita Bryant, Bathrooms and Backlash
In the 1970s, America’s moral panic machine found its perfect scapegoat: gay and lesbian teachers. Also bathrooms. Historian Gillian Frank unravels the roots of child trafficking and "groomer" conspir...
12 Des 202436min
Ladies Stay Safe, pt. 2: The Groomer Rumor Mill
How did human trafficking conspiracy theories give rise to a politicized pedo panic targeting teachers, trans kids and drag queens? Researchers Daniela Peterka-Benton and Bond Benton connect the dots ...
6 Des 202435min
Ladies Stay Safe, pt. 1: Sex Traffickers in Parking Lots
Why are suburban white women so afraid of getting snatched out of parking lots and sex trafficked? Journalist Caitlin Dewey unravels the tangled threads of modern sex trafficking panic, the impact of ...
23 Nov 202443min
Emotional literacy for misinformation?
Ever heard of emotional literacy? In this mini episode (a breadcrumb? red thread?), climate misinformation expert and content creator Abbie Richards explains what it is, why it pairs so well with cons...
14 Nov 202412min
Escaped Nuns from Evil Convents
In the late summer of 1834, a torch-wielding mob burned down a Boston convent for reasons that sound a lot like . . . Pizzagate. Fueled by rumors of kidnappings, papal paranoia and phony exposés, cons...
31 Okt 202420min
The Feminine Draw of Contemporary Conspiracy (Culture Study with Anne Helen Petersen)
What’s the difference between a conspiracy theory and gossip? When does joking around about Kate Middleton’s abduction turn into something much darker? Are women actually more susceptible to contempor...
24 Okt 20241h 10min
