Media interviews
& Coverage
2022
Today FM with Graeme Hill, July 31, 2022 (Luck Charms Cereal Scare is psychogenic)
Conversations with Experts Podcast, Len Ber, M.D. July 28, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’)
The Straits Times (Singapore), July 25, 2022 (‘demonic possession’ outbreak in Malaysia)
Late to Class Podcast with Hank Sanders, July 21, 2022 (Havana Syndrome as Social Panic)
History.com, July 20, 2022, interviewed by author Jessica Rotondi (Mysterious mass illnesses)
Straits Times Podcast, Unsolved Mysteries of South-East Asia, July 19, 2022 (The screaming schoolgirls of Kelantan)
Undark Magazine, July 13, 2022 (Mass psychogenic illness in Afghanistan)
Franklin County News, July 7, 2022 (Anti- Māori racism mural in Pukekohe, New Zealand)
Papakura Courier, July 6, 2022 (Māori racial segregation in Pukekohe, New Zealand)
Spyscape.com July 5, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ & the history of spy hysterias)
Stuff NZ, July 2, 2022 (Māori racial segregation in Pukekohe, New Zealand)
The Daily Mail (London), June 24, 2022 (Havana Syndrome compensation for imaged condition)
Sydney Morning Herald, May 28, 2022 (Havana Syndrome as myth)
Shot & Chaser Podcast, Part II, May 2, 2022 (Havana Syndrome & mass psychology)
Shot & Chaser Podcast, Part I, April 25, 2022 (Cuba, birthplace of mojitos & Havana Syndrome)
Euro News, May 12, 2022 (Needle-spiking panic in Europe)
Telegraph Magazine, April 16, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’)
Armchaired and Dangerous Podcast with Dax Sheppard & David Farrier, March 19, 2022 (Havana Syndrome)
Annie Clou Podcast, University of Chicago, March 16, 2022 (Dancing Mania)
The New Humanist, March 4, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ & latest CIA findings)
95bFM, March 1, 2022 (Havana Syndrome and the tinfoil hat people in Wellington)
Radio New Zealand – The Panel, February 28, 2022 (protestors in tinfoil hats fear energy waves)
The Atlantic, February 27, 2022 (the girls who caught Tourettes)
Cosmoetica – Dan Schneider Interview, February 25, 2022 (odd human behaviours)
The Fine Print (New York City media industry newsletter), February 17, 2022 (Havana Syndrome)
The Big Q, February 16, 2022, Auckland University (‘Havana Syndrome’ as myth)
Down to Earth Magazine (New Delhi, India), February 14, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ as myth)
Inverse, February 14, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ & the brain)
British Forces TV, February 11, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ not microwave attack)
Newsroom (New Zealand), February 11, 2022 (Havana Syndrome & CIA report)
Worlds Apart Podcast w/ Oksana Boyko, January 30, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ myth exposed)
RT ‘Worlds Apart’ Podcast w/ Oksana Boyko, January 31, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’)
Russian TV, ‘Worlds Apart’ w/ Oksana Boyko, January 30, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ myth exposed)
TRT World News (Turkish TV), January 29, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ CIA report)
RŠ Radio Slovenia, January 25, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ and CIA report)
New Zealand Listener, January 22-28 (Peter Ellis modern-day witch-hunt)
DW News (German TV), January 23, 2022 (CIA report on ‘Havana Syndrome’)
The Daily Mail (London), January 21, 2022 (CIA report on ‘Havana Syndrome’)
The Daily Express (London), January 21, 2022 (CIA report on ‘Havana Syndrome’)
The Paradise Newspaper (Nigeria), January 20, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’ CIA report)
The Economist (Science Podcast), January 18, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’)
Monocle 24, The Globalist, Channel 1 London, January 18, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’)
Al Jazeera TV Inside Story w/ Peter Dolby (30 minutes), January 15, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’)
WebMD, January 12, 2022 (‘Havana Syndrome’)
New Books Network, January 4, 2022 w/ Neuroscientist Galina Limorenko (‘Havana Syndrome’)
2021
Daily Mail Australia, October 2, 2021 (‘Havana Syndrome’ is in the mind)
Joseph Flatley Podcast, October 1, 2021, (‘Havana Syndrome’ and conspiracy theories)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, September 26, 2021 (‘Havana Syndrome’ is a myth)
TV Zveda (Moscow, Russia), September 23, 2021 (‘Havana Syndrome’ and Russia)
The Jerusalem Post, September 19, 2021 (TikTok videos inducing tics in young females)
The Sunday News (Auckland), August 22, 2021 (Prejudice against South Aucklanders)
Coast to Coast Radio Show with George Noory, August 9, 2021 (Havana Syndrome solved)
Smerconish.com, July 30, 2021 (the truth about Havana Syndrome)
Katiecouric.com, July 26, 2021 (Havana Syndrome and mass suggestion)
NZ Stuff, May 2, 2021 (Māori racial segregation in New Zealand)
The Sun (United Kingdom), May 9, 2021 (Havana Syndrome Myth)
Parallel Views Podcast, May 8, 2021 (Havana Syndrome as mass suggestion)
Māori Television (Auckland), May 4, 2021 (Māori racial segregation in Pukekohe)
The Sun (United Kingdom), April 30, 2021 (Havana Syndrome Myth)
Sri Lanka Guardian, March 7, 2021 (Havana Syndrome)
Vi Menn (Norwegian magazine), February 16, 2021 (mass hysteria and social delusions)
Eastern Courier (Auckland), February 10, 2021 (Māori racial segregation in Pukekohe)
iNews Cayman (Cayman Islands and Caribbean region news), March 5, 2021 (Havana Syndrome)
CE Noticias Financieras, February 18, 2021 (The attack that didn’t happen – Havana Syndrome)
Television Cubana (Cuba), February 17, 2021 (Documentary on ‘Havana Syndrome’)
WGN Radio (Chicago), January 10, 2021 (Mass Psychogenic Illness)
2020
New Zealand Herald, November 1, 2020 (pseudoscience)
Sydney Morning Herald, October 22, 2020 (Microwave attack claims in Australia)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, October 21, 2020 (‘Microwave attack’ in Australia)
The American Institute for Economic Research,October 2, 2020 (Covid party myth)
The Times (Howick, Botany, Flat Bush), July 28, 2020 (Blue zones diet)
Maori TV News, June 19, 2020 (Māori racial segregation in Pukekohe)
Radio New Zealand, May 2020 (Conspiracy theories in New Zealand)
Stuff NZ, April 21, 2020 (Coronavirus and conspiracy theories)
Stuff NZ, April 12, 2020 (Coronavirus and social media)
Papermag.com, March 12, 2020 (Coronavirus, Chinese and scapegoats)
Counterpunch, March 6, 2020 (Social aspects of the Coronavirus scare)
Radio New Zealand, April 12, 2020 (Coronavirus death rate overestimated)
Star-Times (Auckland), March 8, 2020 (Coronavirus conspiracy theories and rumors)
Associated Press, March 3, 2020 (Havana Syndrome mass psychology)
WGN Radio (Chicago), February 25, 2019 (‘Havana Syndrome’ solved)
Agence France-Presse, February 20, 2020 (sudden interest in disease-themed movies/games)
The Hill, February 4, 2020 (Coronavirus and the age of government mistrust)
Gulf Times (Qatar), February 1, 2020 (Coronavirus misinformation spread fear)
Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirataes), January 30, 2020 (Coronavirus fear spreads)
Agence France-Presse (AFP), January 30, 2020 (Coronavirus rumors spread panic)
Noticias Financieras (Latin America), 30 January 2020 (Coronavirus fears)
2019
The Ottawa Citizen (Canada), November 5, 2019 (Havana Syndrome is mass suggestion)
The Chronicle Herald (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), November 2, 2019 (Havana Syndrome)
WGN Radio (Chicago), November 3, 2019 (‘Havana Syndrome’ solved)
Mysteries Decoded TV series, September 24, 2019, “Salem Witches” episode
Haaretz Magazine (Tel Aviv, Israel), August 22, 2019 (Sonic attacks claims unfounded)
BBC News, August 11, 2019 (“The Screaming Schoolgirls of Malaysia”)
Amazon Audible Podcast, “Hysteria!” July 2019, narrated by actor Alice Lowe, 3 hours
BuzzFeed News, May 29, 2019 (JAMAstudy on ‘sonic attacks’ in Cuba was flawed)
CBC Radio (Ottawa, Canada), May 24, 2019 (Canadian Embassy illness is mass psychology)
A Leap of Doubt Podcast (Oregon, USA), May 23, 2019 (America’s history of demonizing migrants)
The Globe & Mail (Toronto, Canada), May 21, 2019 (Canadian Embassy illness is mass psychology)
WGN Radio (Chicago), March 16, 2019 (Christchurch massacre and gun laws)
Skeptical Inquirer interview, February 5, 2019 (‘sonic attacks’ are science fiction)
Vanity Fair Magazine, February 2019 (‘sonic attack’ as science fiction)
WGN Radio (Chicago), January 12, 2019 (New insights on sonic attack claims)
2018
Gulf Times (Qatar), October 4, 2018 (Mystery illness in Cuba)
History Net Book Channel, September 25, 2018 (demonization of migrants in America)
Slate, August 14, 2018 (criticism of Journal of the American Medical Association study on ‘sonic attacks’)
The Guardian, August 14, 2018 (New study on Cuban ‘attacks’ is flawed)
BuzzFeed News, August 14, 2018 (Concussions from ‘sonic attack’ in Cuba impossibility)
ABC News Australia, July 2, 2018 (Sonic attack claims in Cuba are not scientifically grounded)
Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2018 (Journalists partly to blame for sonic attack claims)
Radio New Zealand Morning Report, May 29, 2018 (Sonic attack claim in China groundless)
The Guardian, March 7, 2018 (New study on Cuban ‘attacks’ is flawed)
The Guardian, February 23, 2018 (Audio interview/Podcast on sonic attack claims)
WGN Radio (Chicago), February 17, 2018 (New study findings on Cuban ‘attack’ unsound)
BuzzFeed News, February 16, 2018 (Concussions from ‘sonic attack’ in Cuba impossibility)
OnCuba, February 7, 2018 (sonic attacks or collective hysteria in Cuba)
The Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia), January 12, 2018 (Mass fainting in Cambodia)
Newsweek, January 11, 2018 (Acoustical attack claims in Cuba are mass suggestion);
BuzzFeed News, January 10, 2018 (Senate hearings on ‘sonic attack’ in Cuba)
The X-Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell, January 5, 2018 (Sonic attack claims bogus);
New Statesman, January 4, 2018 (Conspiracy theories and the internet)
2017
Coast to Coast Radio Show with George Noory, December 28, 2017 (Sonic attack claims defy physics)
Newsweek, December 16, 2017 (Sonic attack claims in Cuba are baseless)
WGN Radio (Chicago, Illinois), December 9, 2017 (‘Sonic Attack’ claims in Cuba unfounded)
The Big Picture Science Show (November 13, 2017), (Global warming newspaper hoax of 1874)
EFE News Agency (Madrid, Spain), November 17, 2017 (Mystery over sonic attack claims in Cuba)
WGN Radio (Chicago, Illinois), October 21, 2017 (‘Sonic Attack’ reports psychological)
Boston.com October 12, 2017 (The Salem Witch-hunts of 1692)
Graeme Hill, Radio Live, New Zealand, October 15, 2016 (‘Sonic Attack’ fears unwarranted)
The Guardian, October 12, 2017 (‘Sonic Attack’ claims defy the laws of physics)
Havana Times, September 19, 2017 (‘Sonic Attack’ claims likely psychogenic)
New Zealand Herald, August 15, 2017 (NCEA History exam plagiarism scandal)
The Guardian, June 25, 2017 (Exploitation of Cambodian garment workers)
New Statesman, March 20, 2017 (Conspiracy theories and the internet)
Courier Mail (Queensland, Australia), April 8, 2017 (Moral panics)
Smithsonian Magazine, March 6, 2017 (Outbreaks of mass suggestion in Europe)
OZY Media (California), February 26, 2017 (History of Mass Psychogenic Illness)
2016
Courier Mail (Queensland, Australia), November 5, 2016 (Decline of the Pokemon-Go Fad)
The Times (London), October 22, 2016 (Clown social panic spreads)
Beyond Reality Radio with Jason Hawes, the SyFy Channel, October 20, 2016 (Bigfoot myth)
Agence France-Presse (AFP), October 14, 2016 (Clown social panic turning violent)
Mike Cohen, WILS Radio, (Lansing, Michigan), October 14, 2016 (police and the clown scare)
Agence France-Presse (AFP), October 12, 2016 (history of the clown social panic), October
Graeme Hill, Radio Live, New Zealand, October 9, 2016 (Clown social panic ins New Zealand)
New Zealand Herald, October 7, 2016 (Clown social panic reaches New Zealand)
Australian Broadcasting, ABC Radio, October 7, 2016 (Clown Panic prompt Victorian Police Warning)
Newstalk 1ZB, October 7, 2016 (Clown social panic in New Zealand)
New Zealand Herald, October 7, 2016 (Clown social panic reaches New Zealand)
The Guardian (London), October 5, 2016 (Clown social panic spreads)
LehighValleylive.com (Pennsylvania), October 3, 2016 (American phantom clown social panic)
Graeme Hill, Radio Live, New Zealand, September 25, 2016 (Clown ‘attacks’ as urban legend)
Graeme Hill, Radio Live, New Zealand, September 3, 2016 (Phantom clown social panic in America)
Washington Post, August 31, 2016 (Pokémon Go Fad)
Aljazeera News, August 6, 2016 (Religious significance of the Roswell UFO myth)
Agencia EFE (Spanish News), April 28, 2016 (Outbreak of demonic possession in Malaysian schools)
Nautilus Magazine, April 7, 2015 (Why mass psychogenic illness affects mostly females)
Astro Awani, Malaysian TV News, April 22, 2016 (Demonic possession in northern Malaysia)
VICE Magazine, April 21, 2016 (Mass psychogenic illness outbreak in Malaysia)
BBC World News, April 19, 2016 (Outbreak of demonic possession in Malaysian schools)
The Unexplained with Howard Hughes, April 17, 2016 (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
Dark Thirty Radio, Jeremy Scott, Mutual Radio, April 21, 2016 (Bigfoot folklore)
Dark Thirty Radio with Jeremy Scott, Mutual Radio, March 8, 2016 (science and the paranormal)
The Toronto Star, January 4, 2016 (Fads, crazes and social delusions)
2015
The Michelangelo Signorile Show, November 20, 2015 (Psychology of the Paris terror attacks)
Coast to Coast Radio Show with George Noory, October 8, 2015 (Hollywood and haunted houses)
BuzzFeed News (Sara Topol), July 24, 2015 (mysterious outbreak of sleeping sickness in Kazakhstan)
Belt Magazine, June 4, 2015 (Illinois terrorism scare of 1944)
Nautilus Magazine, April 7, 2015 (Mass Psychogenic Illness and gender)
2014
Graeme Hill, Radio Live, New Zealand, November 30, 2014 (Mass psychogenic illness)
National Geographic Channel (series “Invasion Earth”) October-December 2014 (UFOs)
Coast to Coast Radio Show with George Knapp, October 19, 2014 (Lake Champlain ‘Monster’)
2013
The Otago Times, September 15, 2013 (Can social media trigger psychological illness)
The Atlantic Monthly, September 2013 (Mystery illness in Danvers, Massachusetts)
The Jeff Rense Radio Show, January 11, 2013, (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
Strange Universe Radio Show, January 16, 2013 (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
UAlbany Magazine, Spring 2013, (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
American Public Radio, WAMC, New York, January 29, 2013 (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
2012
Waikato Times, March 3, 2012 (Goldfish Swallowing Fad strikes Hamilton New Zealand)
Sydney Morning Herald, May 17, 2012 (New link between psychogenic illness and social media)
Vermont Public Radio, 27 December 2012 (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
Bob Cudmore Radio Show, (Amsterdam, New York), 17 December 2012 (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
Bob Pooler Radio Show, WIRY, Plattsburgh, NY, 12 December 2012 (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
New Zealand Herald, June 2, 2012 (Mysterious Illness mong Afghan Schoolgirls)
Agence France-Presse, 5 June 2012 (Mysterious Illness mong Afghan Schoolgirls)
Associated Press interview with Mike Stobbe, 5 February 2012 (LeRoy New York Mystery Illness)
Pocono Record, (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) 5 February 2012 (Don Decker Poltergeist Case Solved)
The Big Picture Science Show (October 1, 2012), (Mystery illness, LeRoy New York)
USA Today, November 12, 2009 (2012 Mayan Calendar end of the world scare)
TV 3 New Zealand, December 8, 2012 (Ethics of hoax radio calls)
New Zealand Herald, December 15, 2012 (Ethics of hoax radio calls)
2011
New Zealand TV, ‘Nigel Latta’s Politically Incorrect Guide to Parenting,’ April 2011 (the paranormal)
UAlbany Magazine, Fall 2011, (America’s Loch Ness ‘Monster’)
2010
Alice Springs News, 16 December 2010 (Northern Territory Education Department)
2009
Northern Territory News, 9 October 2009 (Asbestos in Northern Territory schools)
Australian Teacher Magazine, September 2009 (Asbestos in Northern Territory schools)
Australian Teacher Magazine, October 2009 (Asbestos in Australian schools)
ABC Radio, Darwin, Australia, July 2009 (Australian Education Reform)
Air & Space Smithsonian Magazine, July 2009 (The British Zeppelin Scare of 1909)
Tennant and District Times (Australia), 14 August 2009 (Asbestos in Northern Territory schools)
2008
USA Today, November 4, 2008 (Large Hadron Collider Doomsday Scare)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV News (Darwin), April 21, 2008 (Educational Reform)
The Weekend Australian, April 18-19, 2008 (Remote Education Reform)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Darwin) June 20, 2008 (Remote Education)
Northern Territory News, April 21, 2008 (Australian Remote Educational Reform)
The Des Moines Register (Iowa), March 8, 2008 (school mystery illness)
2007
Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, April 1, 2007 (Morgellons ‘disease’)
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts), July 1, 2007 (folklore)
The Bangor Daily News (Maine), June 18, 2007 (New England folklore)
The Roanoke Times & World News, November 20, 2007 (school mystery Illness)
The Roanoke Times & World News (Virginia), November 18, 2007 (mystery Illness)
2006
The Los Angeles Times, November 13, 2006 (Morgellons disease & mass suggestion)
AAP General News Wire (Sydney), January 6, 2006, (Melbourne airport Mystery Illness)
The Cairns Post (Australia), January 7, 2006 (Melbourne airport Mystery Illness)
2005
The Herald Sun (Melbourne), February 25, 2005 (Melbourne Airport mystery illness)
The Herald Sun (Melbourne), February 27, 2005 (Melbourne Airport mystery illness)
The Herald Sun (Melbourne), March 1, 2005 (Melbourne Airport mystery illness)
Newsweek [Australian edition] March 8, 2005 (Melbourne Airport mystery illness)
The Herald Sun (Melbourne), April 6, 2005 (Melbourne Airport mystery illness solved)
Northern Territory News, July 2, 2005 (media scares and Orson Welles)
The X-Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell, August 1, 2005 (radio scares)
The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York), December 2005 (post-911 racial profiling)
Discovery Channel documentary, December 2005 (New York Folklore)
2004
The Whitehall Times (Whitehall, New York), February 5, 2004 (Bigfoot eco-tourism in Whitehall)
The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York), February 13, 2004 (popular urban myths)
The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York), April 4, 2004 (SARS health scare)
The Whitehall Times (Whitehall, New York), April 3, 2004 (urban myths in Upstate New York)
The Chicago Tribune (Illinois), July 22, 2004 (cryptozoology, Illinois pseudoscience)
British Broadcasting Corporation (Morning Show), September 13, 2004 (media scares)
2003
The Journal-Gazette (Mattoon, Illinois), January 6, 2003 (pre-911 terror scares);
Hilly Rose Radio Show, March 2003 (hoaxes and manias);
Coast to Coast Radio Show with George Noory, May 16, 2003 (social delusions);
The Dave Glover Show, KFTK Radio, St. Louis, June 13, 2003 (pseudoscience)
The Joe Parisi Show, WROW Radio, August 9, 2003 (Unidentified Flying Objects)
2002
The Rutland Herald (Vermont), September 19, 2002 (critical thinking in school)
The Journal Gazette (Illinois), February 3, 2002 (history of terrorism)
The Burlington Free Press (Vermont), August 18, 2002 (Catamount sightings)
San Francisco Chronicle, June 11, 2002 (psychological impact of a 'dirty nuke')
The Roanoke Times & World News (Virginia), March 18, 2002 (bio-terrorism fears)
2001
The Los Angeles Times, October 27, 2001 (post-September 11th bio-terrorism scares)
The Wall Street Journal, May 24, 2001 (urban legends in India)
2000
The History Channel, ‘Incident at Roswell,’ April 2000 (Roswell UFO myths)
1999
The New Yorker, July 12, 1999 (psychological illness in Belgium, Malcolm Gladwell)
1998
BBC, October 30, 1998 (1938 Martian panic)
The Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Australia) November 8, 1998 (the psychology of UFOs)
1995
The Star (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), October 21, 1995 (Malaysian folklore)
The Sunday Star (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), October 22, 1995 (pseudoscience)