Things Amy Westervelt Has Said on Podcasts

“In my kids' schools over the past few years, the biggest conversation is to what level are we going to allow them to use AI in school, not what kinds of conversations are we having with them about the information ecosystem that AI is entering.” — Amy Westervelt, Drilled

Discussing fixes for a polluted information ecosystem, Amy Westervelt turned to education. She had just recalled a civics teacher who made students read a print newspaper weekly and discuss whose interests shaped each story.

Drilled · 2026-11-06 Permalink → Listen →

Drilled Around 30:18 into the episode

Speaker 1

…And then we would talk about like, you know, how certain stories had been presented and, you know, what interests were being represented in them. And it was actually like very useful. And I just don't think kids are getting that at all. Instead, it's like, I don't know, like you have a kid too.

Speaker 3

I was just trying to visualize buying a copy of the Times and seeing whether I could read it to her. But I think I think I'd have to first explain what this artifact is before we begin to read it. Yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah. But like, I know in my kids' schools over the past few years, like the biggest conversation is like, to what level are we going to allow them to use AI in school, not like what kinds of conversations are we having with them about like the information ecosystem that AI is entering into, you know? So yeah, I think there are like educational changes that need to be made. I think there are, I think we should reinstate the guardrails that used to be in place around balance in broadcast news. And I also think that like, you know, I don't know. Okay. I, I feel like fear in my heart even saying this, but like, I actually think this is so bad. I'm going to get the internet trolls coming for me so hard. I think that actually, like, some people who are caught lying over and over and over again to the public probably should be censored. Like you get the right to speak to the public. You get, you have like a platform and people are, you know, engaging in what you're doing and you're using it to misinform them or give them false…

Speaker 3

the right to an unpolluted information supply, just like we could expect an unpolluted water supply. It's just as fundamental.

Speaker 1

Exactly. I hate the way that people will take that and say, like, oh, you just want to hear from people who think just like you. I don't actually. Like, I'm very interested in hearing from people that disagree with me and change my mind all the time. You know, like someone who is just sharing…

Speaker 3

And we can regulate the tech platforms as well, which is another proposal you made. Yeah.

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

“The idea that corporations should have equal speech rights to individuals is completely out of touch with reality. They have a hundred times the budget to craft their message, get it out, amplify it… And they should be held to a higher standard of truth as well because of that.” — Amy Westervelt, Drilled

Amy Westervelt was explaining the main argument of her book on a polluted information system. She had just said someone sharing a belief is different from someone paid by a company to spread a narrative.

Drilled · 2026-11-06 Permalink → Listen →

Drilled Around 31:33 into the episode

Speaker 1

…that are like, you know, any type of speech, a lie, hate speech, you know, violent speech, whatever it is should all be allowed forgets like the other side of the coin of free speech, which is like the right to discourse, you know, the right to information, like the right to be informed. Well,

Speaker 3

the right to an unpolluted information supply, just like we could expect an unpolluted water supply. It's just as fundamental.

Speaker 1

…the difference between individual free speech and corporate speech. This is like a very toxic product created in the US and now disseminated globally. The idea that corporations should have. Have equal speech rights to individuals is completely out of touch with reality. They have, you know, a hundred times the budget to craft their message, get it out, amplify it, all of those kinds of things. And they should be held to a higher standard of truth as well because of that. You know, like there's absolutely no reason that we can't say, like, oh, you know, companies shouldn't knowingly spread misleading information. I don't understand why that's even remotely controversial. I mean, the easiest thing you can do is like disengage from social media, right? Just do it.

Speaker 3

And we can regulate the tech platforms as well, which is another proposal you made. Yeah.

Speaker 1

Absolutely. That's another big one. That's another one that they're really crying censorship over. But like the reality is these guys are not fighting for your free speech rights. They are fighting for their right to not be taxed the same as any other industry has the entire history of capitalism.…

Speaker 4

These days, there are more people than ever telling you how to manage your health. And we've all gone down an internet rabbit hole exploring the latest health trends. Your social media feed is packed with wellness advice telling you to cold plunge, protein max, detox, track your sleep. But what's…

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

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