Full Description
In an era defined by information overload and polarized discourse, Sowing the West Texas Wind brings together a diverse array of scholars, scientists, journalists, and legal experts to examine the rise of misinformation and its real-world impacts. The scope goes from the deeply local to the national and global to understand how trust is won and lost. With a focus on the last decade's most defining crises—including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disinformation, and election interference—this timely collection uses West Texas as a revealing microcosm for understanding how falsehoods take root and spread.
Rather than preaching from political extremes, however, the book probes how misinformation distorts community life, corrodes democratic processes, and complicates public health and policy decisions. The contributors explore the phenomenon through case studies that span health communication, climate science, law, media studies, and security policy. From the infiltration of "pink slime" journalism in Lubbock to the influence of Russian disinformation on Texas secessionist movements, the chapters dissect the anatomy of confusion. There are insights for local leaders, journalists, and citizens alike as we navigate a terrain of contested truths.
Sowing the West Texas Wind goes beyond merely calling out dysfunction to invite collective reflection on the complex interplay between how we see ourselves and navigate shifting media ecosystems. By illuminating both the local textures and global consequences of our epistemic crisis, the book offers insights for those seeking practical, informed pathways through today's tangled information landscape.
Contents
Introduction: Epistemic Disorder and Democratic Vulnerability
Robert Moses Peaslee et al., "We felt like we were doing noble work": Local Information Flows in the Texas South Plains During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Bryan A. Giemza, Made in Texas, Sometimes with Imported Ingredients: Pink Slime Journalism Arrives in Lubbock
Erik P. Bucy, Misinformation and Vaccination Hesitancy Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Perfect Storm of Distortion and Doubt
Katharine Hayhoe and Bryan Giemza, Headwinds: A Conversation about Climate Communication and Disinformation
Kenton T. Wilkinson and Lucinda Holt, Juntos estamos saludables: Addressing COVID-19 Mis/Disinformation Among Hispanics/Latinos on the South Plains of Texas
Lyombe Eko, Seeing Double: Two American Journalists, Linguistic Affinity, and Russian Disinformation in the 2014 and 2022 Invasions of Ukraine
Ori Swed, Digital Manipulation: Unmasking Russian Trolls' Role in Fueling Texas Secession Fever during the 2016 US Presidential Campaign
Brie D. Sherwin, Anatomy of a Conspiracy Theory: Law, Politics, and Science Denialism in the Era of COVID-19
