Skylar Hughes is a recent graduate of Duke University and an incoming MSc student at the University of Oxford's Internet Institute. A passionate advocate for democracy, Skylar has dedicated her academic career to combating the societal impacts of disinformation. As a researcher at the Marsh Memory Lab, she designed and ran experiments on misinformation with hundreds of participants around the United States. Beyond academia, Skylar has held roles at organizations such as CNN and the Poynter Institute. Here she fact-checked hundreds of articles, worked the 2024 Presidential Debate, and developed resources to improve digital literacy. As a young voice navigating the intersection of ethics, journalism, and trust, Skylar brings a powerful perspective to one of the most urgent issues of our time- misinformation and ethics.

• Research Columnist

  Online Media · Duke Research Blog

  Jan 2021 – Jan 2024

• Fact-Checking Intern

  Broadcast Media · CNN

  Jan 2024 – Jan 2024

• Fact-Checking Intern

  Online Media · Poynter Institute

  Jan 2023 – Jan 2023

• Public Policy Intern

  Public Policy · Impact Strategies

  Jan 2022 – Jan 2022

• Advocacy
• Politics
• Philanthropy
• Entrepreneurship

• Research Assistant

  Duke Fuqua School of Buisness · Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other

  2023 – 2023

  Research topic:

  User Perception of brands

• Kenan Summer Fellow

  Kenan Center for Ethics · Journalism

  2023 – 2023

  Research topic:

  Misinformation, Ethics, and Political Polarization

• Researcher

  Duke University Bass Connections · Journalism

  2024 – 2025

  Research topic:

  Misinformation, Policy, and Heuristics

• Primary Researcher

  Marsh Memory Lab · Psychology, General

  2023 – 2025

  Research topic:

  Misinformation, Memory, and Belief Correction

• Pianist

  Grayson School of Music · Music

  2011 – Present

• Senior Company Member

  Northeast Atlanta Ballet · Dance

  2005 – 2020

  Productions:

  Nutcracker, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Motions, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Emperor and the Nightingale, Frozen, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty

• Volunteer

  Volunteering · Durham Public Schools

  2023 – 2024

  Mission:

  volunteered with elementary school students and assisted with tutoring, drop off/pick up, etc...

• Public Relations Director

  Advocacy · Miracle @ Duke

  2023 – 2024

  Mission:

  raised $8,000 for Duke Children's Hospital

• TedxDuke Speaker

  Public Service (Politics) · TedxDuke

  2024 – 2025

  Mission:

  Selected to deliver a TED talk to 300+ attendees on the ethical implications of misinformation, drawing from experience as a fact-checker and cognitive psychology research on misinformation.

• Member

  Volunteering · National Honors Society

  2019 – Present

  Mission:

  must have a 95 grade average to be invited to apply. We did numerous community outreach programs to educate and better our community.

• Club Founder and President ( DS is an international organization that sponsors school clubs around the USA)

  Volunteering · DoSomething Nonprofit Organization

  2019 – 2020

  Mission:

  we had four campaigns throughout the year: Black lives matter, global warming, mental health, and essential workers appreciation. We advocated for social justice and brought change to our community