Mick West on Debunking Conspiracies, Tom Junod on Manhood and His New Memoir
About this episode
Mick West discusses online conspiracy theories and misinformation, while Tom Junod reflects on masculinity in his memoir.
On America at Night with McGraw Milhaven, Mick West, founder of Metabunk.org and ContrailScience.com, joined the program to discuss the rise of online conspiracy theories and misinformation. West explained how his work focuses on investigating viral claims—from UFO sightings to contrails and internet hoaxes—and why critical thinking and evidence-based analysis are more important than ever in the digital age. Later, Tom Junod, acclaimed journalist and longtime magazine writer, joined the show to discuss his book “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man.” The memoir reflects on Junod’s relationship with his father, exploring themes of masculinity, family expectations, and personal identity. Junod is also widely known for writing the famous Esquire profile of Fred Rogers, which later inspired the film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: McGraw Milhaven
Guests: Mick West, Tom Junod
Topics covered
- conspiracy theories
- misinformation
- critical thinking
- masculinity
- personal identity
- family expectations
Keywords
- conspiracy theories
- Mick West
- Tom Junod
- masculinity
- memoir
- critical thinking
- family
- identity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Metabunk.org, ContrailScience.com
Books & works: In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
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