Rigged is an online archive and podcast documenting the history and evolution of disinformation in America, researched and curated by investigative journalist Amy Westervelt.
Start here for a quick overview of the history of the PR industry, then use the navigation tabs above to dig into the techniques, spin masters, and industries that helped to evolve and grow America's disinformation machine into the beast it is today.
Note: Got information to share? We're all ears! Send documents, reading suggestions, and more to amy at criticalfrequency dot org.
This site does not exist to replace or compete with any of the excellent archives or reporting that already exist—especially some of our personal favorites the UCSF Industry Documents, Climate Files , and Documented—but to highlight specifically how and why disinformation techniques were created, the people who perfected them, and how they were used across multiple industries to shape public opinion and policy. All documents sourced by other organizations, researchers, or reporters are appropriately credited. We are particularly grateful for the work of Melissa Aronczyk, Brooke Binkowski, Robert Brulle, Kert Davies, Ben Franta, Lisa Graves, Naomi Oreskes, Nick Surgey, Jason Stanley, Geoffrey Supran, and Dan Zegart.
Rigged is funded through a mix of crowd funding, podcast ads, and a generous donation from the Broad Reach Fund.