Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: Behind the Scenes Minis: Bias 3DS
Hosts: Tracy V. Wilson & Holly Frey
Release Date: October 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This behind-the-scenes minisode features hosts Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey reflecting on the week’s “Unearthed” episodes and diving into recent discussions about bias in archaeological reporting, language and accessibility in historical research, and museum technology. The conversation offers a meta-analysis on how history gets filtered through multiple systems before reaching the public, layered with personal anecdotes, reflections on media discourse, and their trademark banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bias in Reporting and Archaeological Research

(03:14 – 13:01)

• Layers of Bias in Publication
  The hosts reflect on a paper discussed in the main episode, exploring how bias affects not only which stories get covered by press, but also who gets to do, fund, submit, and publish research in the first place—especially in archaeology.

  • Tracy: Emphasizes the “many factors that go into, before the paper even gets published”—who does research, where, who gets funding, and safety considerations.

    “The layers...do definitely involve, like, they start prior to even submitting the paper to a journal… so many factors that go into, like before, before the paper even gets published.”
    (04:35)

  • Holly: Questions whether language was considered as a bias factor in the research—do only English-language papers get considered?

    “What makes it into those journals?... So what starts out with a bias already.”
    (04:11)

• Geographical Gaps and English-Language Dominance
  Tracy observes persistent regional disparities in coverage, especially across Africa outside of Egypt, and the hurdles for non-English-speaking researchers.

  • Tracy:

    “As far as I know, those journals are published in English, which means that, you know, somebody doing the research would need to be writing in English, able to translate or have resources to have a paper translated…”
    (06:34–06:51)

• Limits of Press Coverage & Primary Sources
  Tracy recounts how she’s often unable to verify non-Western or non-English-language archaeological news stories. Language barriers prevent following up on intriguing discoveries outside the anglophone press.

  “So one of the things that happens somewhat regularly is that I will have bookmarked a news article…But I'm not able to figure out like, was there a journal article about this?...Sometimes I just can't…”
  (06:58)

• Ethics, Collaboration, and Community-Led Research
  Tracy describes her increasing focus on collaborative and community-led research involving Indigenous peoples—choosing not to spotlight work that treats communities as “objects of study.”

  “…archaeology has sort of approached a lot of indigenous peoples around the world as like objects to be studied rather than human beings…”
  (07:51)

• The Dangers of Misuse and Mischaracterization
  Both hosts explore how archaeological findings can be exploited to support harmful ideologies.

  • Tracy:

    “When mischaracterized archaeological data can fuel harmful ideologies...I also think it's possible…for archaeological data to be presented in a way that's not mischaracterized at all, but is also used to fuel harmful ideologies...”
    (09:54)

2. Notable Quotes from the Bias Paper

(Relevant in the above segment)

• Quote read by Tracy:

  “Quote, skewed coverage may be particularly charged for archaeology, a field with large public interest that generates understandings about past cultures with real or imagined descendants. When mischaracterized archaeological data can fuel harmful ideologies.”
  (09:54)

3. Museum Technologies: The Louvre and the Nintendo 3DS

(17:01 – 20:29)

• Retirement of the Nintendo 3DS at the Louvre
  Tracy shares news about the Louvre discontinuing the use of Nintendo 3DS devices for its tours—devices she enjoyed for their geolocation features and 3D visualizations.

  • Tracy:

    “When we were in Paris, to get the audio tour at the Louvre, you had to give them your ID because they were renting you a Nintendo 3DS...it knew where you were in the museum, and it could pull up contextually relevant stuff for you…”
    (17:45–18:12)

  • Holly shares that her group preferred to socialize over using headsets. Tracy speculates the Louvre may shift to app- or QR-code-based tours for convenience and accessibility.

• Tech and Accessibility

  • Both discuss how personal device-based solutions can improve accessibility but note some personal discomfort with headphones, especially for situational awareness in public.
    • Holly:

      “I don't love being in public with headphones on...I'm like, if there's an emergency and I don't hear it.”
      (19:44)

4. Messy Medieval Manuscripts & Song of Wade

(20:29 – 21:59)

• Tracy recounts confusion reading research on the “Song of Wade” due to name overlaps between characters and researchers. As someone with bad handwriting, she relates to medieval scribes making mistakes.

  • Tracy:

    “...some scribe working with a document that was in both Latin and Middle English might have just made some unclear writing choices that people later were like, what does this say?”
    (21:21)

  • Holly:

    “Although theoretically, if that person had bad handwriting, they wouldn’t be a scribe…Or they may have already given notice and they're kind of coasting, you know, a short timer day.”
    (21:33–21:44)

5. On the Evolution and Appropriation of 'Woke'

(26:06 – 31:43)

• The Misuse of “Woke”
  Tracy discusses her discomfort with reading a presidential Truth Social post on air and delves into the origins and pejorative twisting of the word “woke.”

  • Tracy:

    “The first time I remember seeing anyone use the word woke…was one of the many incidents we have had in the United States in which police killed an unarmed black person…And [the tweet said] ‘if you are just waking up, stay woke.’”
    (26:20–27:41)

• Cultural Appropriation and Political Distortion

  • Both hosts lament how “woke,” with origins in Black activism and vigilance, has become a political insult—often appropriated and misused by outsiders, then further weaponized.
    • Holly:

      “Some of the problem comes from the appropriation of language like that by well intentioned white people...”
      (29:18)

    • Tracy:

      “There’s also…an increasing body of research…that is remarking on…a big disparity between what progressives are actually saying and what conservatives are saying they're saying...”
      (30:02)

• Smithsonian Letter and Power Dynamics

  • Tracy expresses skepticism at the federal government sending “collaborative” directives:

    “Anytime I have gotten a letter or an email instructing me of something and telling me that this instruction is collaborative, I'm like that. That's not what collaboration means. Accurate collaboration is not. You tell me to do something and then I do it.”
    (31:19)

6. Light-hearted Ending: The Antikythera Mechanism

(31:48 – 32:34)

• Holly shares her delight that the ancient Antikythera Mechanism makes frequent appearances in “Unearthed” episodes, joking that even hearing actor Mads Mikkelsen say the word gives her “10 minutes” of dopamine.
  • Holly:

    “…in my head, it's like Pavlov's dog. The bell rings and I just hear the incredibly, incredibly appealing Mads Mikkelsen saying 'etikatera' and I'm like, okay, I'm good.”
    (32:13)

Memorable Quotes

• On Layered Bias:

  “The layers of what factors are going on here do definitely involve, like, they start prior to even submitting the paper to a journal.”
  — Tracy V. Wilson (04:35)

• On ‘Woke’ Appropriation:

  “Some of the problem comes from the appropriation of language like that by well intentioned white people... Who then adopt it into their vernacular. Probably misuse it a lot. And that makes it easier for people with nefarious intent to then twist the meaning.”
  — Holly Fry (29:18)

• On Collaboration:

  “Accurate collaboration is not: You tell me to do something and then I do it.”
  — Tracy V. Wilson (31:19)

• On the Antikythera Mechanism:

  “Pavlov’s dog. The bell rings and I just hear the incredibly, incredibly appealing Mads Mikkelsen saying 'etikatera' and I’m like, okay, I’m good.”
  — Holly Fry (32:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Bias in Archaeological Reporting & Publication: 03:14 – 13:01
• Museum Audio Tours & Nintendo 3DS at the Louvre: 17:01 – 20:29
• Medieval Scribal Errors & The Song of Wade: 20:29 – 21:59
• The Word ‘Woke’ and Political Language: 26:06 – 31:43
• The Antikythera Mechanism & Dopamine Delights: 31:48 – 32:34

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is thoughtful, candid, and personal—balancing intellectual critique of academic and media structures with vulnerability and humor. Holly and Tracy’s rapport brings even complex power dynamics and media criticism to an accessible level, while ending on light personal joys, like the enduring mystery of ancient Greek engineering.

Summary by expert podcast summarizer – for listeners craving context, nuance, and the flavor of the original voices.