In my day job I'm a neuroscientist. Usually this does not intersect with politics, but today's an exception.
In June, my book co-author Sandra Aamodt and I wrote for the New York Times about how our brains lie to us, allowing the formation of false beliefs. Examples of false beliefs include rumors about Barack Obama's religion, or about John McCain fathering a mixed-race child. We didn't realize at the time just how relevant our topic would be in this year's campaign.
Dan Froomkin asked us if brain science could be translated into practical lessons for journalists on how to prevent false belief formation. The answer is yes. So we wrote a piece for him that outlines four principles to guide journalists.
(cross-posted at the Princeton Election Consortium)