Joseph Uscinski

Uscinski is originally from New England.

Uscinski received his BA in political science from Plymouth State University, his MA from University of New Hampshire, and his Ph.D. from University of Arizona. He has been in the University of Miami political science department since 2007.

In 2015, Uscinski organized and convened the first international conference on conspiracy theory research in Miami. The conference featured more than fifty scholars from ten countries.

Uscinski was frequently consulted by journalists during the 2016 U.S. election for his commentary on the rise of campaign-fueled conspiracy theories. and for his criticism of their use by politicians.

Uscinski's first book, The People's News: Media, Politics, and the Demands of Capitalism, was published by New York University Press in 2014. In it, he argued that profit motives were the largest factor driving American journalism. He continued this line of argument by coauthoring a study showing that entertainment, such as dogs, receive inordinate media coverage.

His second book, co-authored with Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. In this book, Uscinski and Parent study the waxing and waning of conspiracy theorizing over time in the United States. The main hypothesis of the book was that conspiracy theories are for losers. By that, they argue that those who are out of power tend to use conspiracy theories to consolidate resources, focus attention on an enemy, and aim at redemption. This manifests itself particularly after elections. The book has been widely reviewedand discussed. Recent survey evidence taken before and after the 2016 election provides positive evidence for the conspiracy theories are for losers theory. More controversially, Uscinski argues that Republicans and Democrats are equally taken to conspiracy theorizing, and that Americans may not be engaging in conspiracy theorizing more than in previous decades .

Uscinski prominently discussed the use of conspiracy theories in the 2016 election. He argued that Trump was using conspiracy theories to mobilize sectors of the electorate that did not trust mainstream candidates. Since the election, Uscinski has spoken against fake news, but has suggested that fake news may not be a new problem.