Popular Press

OP-EDS

“History Tells Us Forged Pro-Trump ‘Election Documents’ Should Sound Alarm Bells.” Made by History, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2022.

“How Praise and Blame Rhetoric are Poisoning American Democracy.” The Globe Post, 2 Nov. 2021.

“Trump Praised Hitler’s “Economic Miracle” — And That’s Even Worse Than It Sounds.” Salon, 7 Aug. 2021. Reprinted in RawStory, 7 Aug. 2021.

“Only the Strong Will Survive? American Echoes of a Dark Past.” Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2021.

“The MAGA Mutiny Shows that America Isn’t a Fascist Country…Yet.” Medium, Politically Speaking, 11 Mar. 2021.

“Attempted US Capitol Coup a Security and Existential Crisis.” The Globe Post, 3 Mar. 2021.  Cross-posted at The College Post, 3 Mar. 2021.

“Trump’s Rhetoric Wasn’t Inconsequential, and We Should Not Act Like It Is.” The Hill Reporter, 25 Feb. 2021.

“Trump Lied His Way In and Is Lying His Way Out: What 20th-Century Fascists Can Teach Us about the Need for Truth in the 21st-Century.” Public Seminar, 10 Dec. 2020.

“We Learned Plenty These Four Years. The Lessons Apply Going Forward.” The Fulcrum, 23 Nov. 2020. Reprinted in ArcaMax, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, The Dominion Post (WV), Finger Lakes Times (NY), Marietta Daily Journal (GA), News Break, News Bug, Skagit Valley Herald (WA), and World News Network

“Losing Big Might be Trump’s Best Campaign Strategy.” The Hill Reporter, 26 Oct. 2020.

“‘Defund the Police’: A Simple Slogan for a Complex Problem.” The Fair Observer, 9 Oct. 2020.

“Good Democracy Requires Disagreement, Conflict, and Argument.” The Fulcrum, 7 Oct. 2020. Reprinted in Bangor Daily News, The Daily Item (PA), The Daily Jeffersonian, The Daily World (WA), Hartford Courant, MSN.com, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Record-Courier (NV) The Virgin Islands Daily News, and Yakima Herald-Republic

“Trump’s Health and the Threat of Political Amnesia.” The Hill Reporter, 18 Sept. 2020.

“Checking Facts is the Wrong Way to Understand Political Persuasion.” The Hill, 1 Sept. 2020.

“US Riots: Inevitable Reaction to Centuries of Oppression and Injustice.” The Globe Post, 15 Jun. 2020.

“The Rhetoric of ‘Outside Agitators’ Has a Troubling Past We Can’t Ignore.” Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, 2 Dec. 2018.

“Why is Trump Covering Up Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder?” Originally published at Daily Doublespeak, 23 Oct. 2018.

“Is Brett Kavanaugh a ‘Good Man’? Does It Matter?” Originally published at Daily Doublespeak, 25 Sept. 2018.

“Why Donald Trump’s Promises of Disaster Might be Part of His Appeal.” Ten Miles Square. The Washington Monthly. 31 Mar. 2016.

ESSAYS

“A Sweaty Hitler is a Sexy Hitler,” History of Yesterday, 9 Sept. 2022. Originally published as “A Sweaty Hitler is a Sincere Hitler, and Sincerity Is Profoundly Persuasive.” History of Yesterday, 6 Aug. 2021.

“Shitposting for Fun and Profit: Memes, Rhetoric, and Russian Trolls.” Arc Digital, 7 Oct. 2020.

“Effectiveness, Backlash, and Collateral Damage in #MeToo’s Media Campaign.” Media Ethics 30.1, 11. Dec. 2018.

“The Rhetoric of Trump’s Zero Tolerance Immigration Policy.” Citizen Critics, 23 Oct. 2018.

“Donald Trump and the Rhetoric of Honest Lying.” Citizen Critics, 01 May 2018.

“Making Spaces for Diverse Writing Practice” with Cindy Baer. Literacy & NCTE: The Official Blog of the National Council of Teachers of English. NCTE. 17 Dec. 2016.

“The Timeless Wisdom of a Plagiarized Convention Speech.” The University Press of Colorado Blog. University Press of Colorado. 25 Oct. 2016.

“Why It Is Worth Reconsidering the Common Sense about Bureaucracy.” The University Press of Colorado Blog. University Press of Colorado. 08 Jun. 2016.

“Why Studying Writing Matters.” International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities. National University of Modern Languages-Islamabad, via video. Oct. 2015.

EXPLAINERS

“An Open & Honest Liar,” TrumpDictionary.com, Sept. 2020.

“Trump’s Rhetoric.” Synapse Synopsis #55, via Zoom, May 2020.

“You Might Think It’s Okay, But I Don’t: Tracing Symploce in Democrats’ Response to the Mueller Report.” Citizen Critics, 29 Mar. 2019.

“All Together Now: Consubstantiality in the Controversy around a Native Elder and a #MAGA Hat-Clad Teen in D.C.” Citizen Critics, 5 Feb. 2019.

PODCASTS

“Episode 118: Rhetoric and Guns.” Interview w/ Charles Woods, Rosa Eberly, Nate Kreuter, Trish Roberts-Miller, Brad Serber, and Lydia Wilkes for The Big Rhetorical podcast. 2022.

“Episode 44: The Big Political Special with Drs. Jennifer Mercieca, Donnie Johnson Sackey, & Ryan Skinnell.” The Big Rhetorical podcast. Aug. 2020.

“Ryan Skinnell on Trump, Demagoguery, and Frank Speech.” Interview with Yasemin Elrabaa and Brett Glasscock for UT Austin’s The Parlor, DRW/DWRL podcast. Summer 2020.

“Episode 18: Ryan on Fascism Research, Truth, and Rhetoric.” Interview with Bryan Hoffer for the Pass Your Passion podcast, Summer 2020.

“Episode 12: Dr. Ryan Skinnell.” Interview with Charles Woods for The Big Rhetorical podcast. Fall 2019.

“A Tale of Two Demagogues: An Interview with Ryan Skinnell and Jennifer Mercieca.” Interview with Cassie Wright & Christopher Kamrath for Stanford’s Rhetorically Speaking podcast. Spring 2019.

“Trumped-Up Rhetoric: An Interview with Ryan Skinnell.” Interview with Eric Detweiler for Rhetoricity podcast. Jan. 28, 2019.

“Episode 4: Conceding Composition with Ryan Skinnell.” Interview with Joel Heng Hartse for the Language U podcast. Centre for English Language Learning, Teaching, & Research, Simon Fraser University. Feb. 24, 2017.

CHATS

“Citizen Critics Live: State of the Union.” with Atilla Hallsby, Mark Hlavacik, Jessica Kurr, Rita Shah, Michael J. Steudeman, & Emily Winderman. Citizen Critics, 5 Feb. 2019.

“Critics Chat: Democratic Identity and the 2018 Midterms.” with Heather Ashley Hayes, Mark Hlavacik, Rita Shah, & Michael J. Steudeman. Citizen Critics, 5 Nov. 2018.

MEDIA APPEARANCES

Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Reactions Pour in Over Paul Pelosi Attack,” Jesse Gary, KTVU FOX 2, Oct. 28, 2022.

Television interview (live) about January 6th rhetoric, Stephanie Lin, KRON 4 News at 3:00, 6/9/2022

“The Role Language Played Leading to the January 6th Insurrection,” Radio interview (live) with Patti Reising and Jeff Bell, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 6/9/2022

“Demagoguery, Authoritarian Politics, and Public Discourse,” Rotary Club of San Jose, 4/27/2022

“Experts Dissect Beijing Olympics Boycott.” Evan Reinhardt, SJSUNews, 2/17/2022

“Two Truths and a Big Lie: The ‘Honest’ Mendacity of Fascist Rhetoric,” University Scholar Series lecture, San José State University, 9/22/2021 (event description)

Television interview (live) for ”Analysis: What the Ruling on Trump’s Facebook Suspension Means,” Darya Folsom and James Fletcher, KRON 4 News, 5/5/2021

Television interview (pre-recorded) for ”Prof. Ryan Skinnell Discusses Facebook Oversight Board Upholding Ban on Donald Trump,” Anser Hassan, Black News Channel (BNC), 5/5/2021

Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Facebook’s Oversight Board Upholds Decision to Ban Trump,” Mark Niu, China Global Television Network (CGTN), 5/5/2021

Featured interview for “The Future of Politics on Twitter,” by Jessica Zimmer, The Rally, 3/12/2021

Radio interview (pre-recorded) about conspiracy rhetoric, Rebecca Corral, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 1/16/2021

“Ask an Expert” radio interview (live) for “Political Rhetoric Comes Under Scrutiny,” Rebecca Corral, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 1/11/2021

Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Apple Removes Parler From App Store in Wake of U.S. Capitol Riot,” Sergio Quintana, NBC Bay Area News, 1/9/2021

Radio interview (pre-recorded) for “Survey Estimates 1 in 4 Americans Won’t Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 as Anti-Vaxxers Sow Doubt,” Matt Bigler, KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM, 12/18/2020

Television interview (pre-recorded) for “With Multiple Vaccines in the Mix, Herd Immunity Could Come by Summer,” Andrea Nakano, KPIX CBS 5, 12/17/2020

Television interview (pre-recorded) for “Health Experts Stress Importance of Bolstering Vaccine Confidence for Communities of Color,” Jesse Gary, KTVU FOX 2, 12/17/2020

Interview, “Dictionary.com: Noun. Oakland Company, Master of Trolling Trump et al.,” Levi Sumagaysay, San Jose Mercury-News, 7/4/2018

Featured interview, “SJSU Prof Takes on Trump in ‘Faking the News’,” Wallace Baine, Silicon Valley Metro, 5/23/2018

Commentary, “What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald J. Trump,” The Academic Minute. AAC&U & WAMC Northeast Public Radio, 5/23/2018

MENTIONS/COVERAGE

“Why Do Politicians Lie? Because It Works — And Shame on Us,” Rodney Kennedy, Baptist News Network, 2/22/2023

“Experts Dissect Beijing Olympics Boycott,” Evan Reinhardt, SJSUNews, 2/17/2022

“SJSU Professor Discusses Dictatorship,” Amani Hamed, SJSUNews, 9/29/2021

“Not Found Poem,” Andrew Jeter, AndrewJeter.org, 3/1/2021

“La Eterna y Pertinaz Demagogia,” Etcétera, 10/17/2020

“Student Workers Struggle During Campus Transition,” Brianna Sheats, SJSUNews, 3/24/2020

“Q&A: Rachael Levay, an Acquisitions Editor at Utah State University Press,” Kirkus Reviews, 2/4/2019

“¿Por Qué AMLO (Todavía) Puede Decir Lo Que Quiera Sin Pagar el Costo?,” Letras Libras, 9/20/2018

“Twisting Parrhesia: White Supremacist Rhetoric about Diversity,” by Adam Hubrig, 9/15/2018

“Alumni Spotlight: CSUN,” California State University Northridge, Department of English, 9/2018

“Faking the News,” ASU Now, Arizona State University, 5/2018