What Pizzagate, election fraud lies, and Trump’s crackdown on antifa have in common.
Trump’s Crackdown on Dissent Comes for Minnesota Anti-ICE Organizers
Federal prosecutors charged 15 people with conspiracy, painting their political speech, protest activity, and alleged antifa ties as evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
FROM KIRK TO A/I
For a detailed breakdown of our investigation check out our DEDICATED INVESTIGATION PAGE How a post-assassination campaign against "Antifa" moved through outside advocates, the White House, Congress and U.S. counterterrorism policy before…
The saga of 'Pizzagate': The fake story that shows how conspiracy theories spread
Thousands of people are spreading a false rumour about a Washington pizza restaurant and a child sex ring. But why?
The Conspiracy Theory About Wayfair Is Spreading Quickly Among Lifestyle Influencers On Instagram
The theory plays into the bigger QAnon conspiracy theory, which baselessly claims that the world is controlled by a secret cabal of pedophiles that President Trump is actively fighting against.
The Fake Free Speech President Has Unleashed ICE On Its Critics
It still amazes me that there are people out there who think that Donald Trump is a supporter of free speech. It has never been true. Anyone who looks will note that the Trump administration regula…
How Trump Made Penn Quake in Its Boots
Fearful of being labeled antisemitic, the University of Pennsylvania has acquiesced to the demands of a punitive Trump administration and vindictive donors—and it’s chilling speech both inside and outside the classroom.
Leveraging Motivations to Curb Misinformation: Self-Affirmation Reduces the Appeal of Political Conspiracy Theories
Abstract: In an era where digital misinformation poses significant challenges to societal well-being, this study explores a novel approach to preserving information integrity by addressing the motivational underpinnings of conspiracy theory engagement. As conspiracy theories proliferate online, traditional fact-checking and debunking strategies often prove ineffective due to the self-reinforcing nature of conspiracy theories. This research investigates whether a priori self-affirmation interventions can reduce individuals’ propensity to engage with conspiracy theories by preemptively fulfilling the ego-protective function these theories often serve. Using a randomized experiment ( N = 451), this study finds that participants who completed a self-affirmation task were less likely to read politicized conspiracy theories, and those who chose to read a conspiracy theory reported greater feelings of affirmation than those who did not. Thus, bolstering individuals’ self-integrity may offer an opportunity to mitigate the appeal of politicized conspiracy theories.
The antifa terrorism threat the Trump administration describes does not exist
Antifa is a scattered movement of local collectives that opposes fascism. It has no leader, command hierarchy, funding structure or record of deadly attacks.
The antifa terrorism threat the Trump administration describes does not exist
Antifa is a scattered movement of local collectives that opposes fascism. It has no leader, command hierarchy, funding structure or record of deadly attacks.
Fascism Depends On The Presumption Of Good Faith
The media's sanewashing of the Trump regime is fueled by this presumption
An Attack on Tech Freedom, an Assault on Dissent
We live in a world of surveillance states, militarized police, and crackdowns on dissent. Meanwhile, corporate behemoths will often ally with the state to shut down dissident speech or aid and abet surveillance. In this context, it’s important for independent groups to develop and maintain encrypted communications platforms and independent web hosting. But the Trump...
Peters Report Finds Trump Administration Has Dismantled Critical Counterterrorism Infrastructure and Weaponized What Remains Against Political Opponents, Leaving Americans Vulnerable to Terror Threats - Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
Senator Gary Peters released a new report detailing how the Trump Administration has systematically dismantled key elements of the nation’s post-9/11 counterterrorism infrastructure, diverting personnel and resources away from preventing terrorist attacks, and increasingly weaponizing other counterterrorism authorities for political purposes.
DOJ Using Gang, Terrorist Prosecutors To Ensure People Opposed To Trump Are Treated Like Gang Members, Terrorists
The authoritarianism has been out in the open pretty much since day one with this presidency. Things that leak out around the edges — unaccompanied by official statements, announcements, or r…
State Department Advances Trump Crackdown on ‘Far-Left Terrorism’
Critics say the Trump administration’s focus is disproportionate, as analysts raise alarms about the growing strength of far-right movements.
State Department Advances Trump Crackdown on ‘Far-Left Terrorism’
Critics say the Trump administration’s focus is disproportionate, as analysts raise alarms about the growing strength of far-right movements.
The Liar’s Dividend: Can Politicians Claim Misinformation to Evade Accountability?
This study addresses the phenomenon of misinformation about misinformation, or politicians "crying wolf"' over fake news. Strategic and false claims that stories are fake news or deepfakes may benefit politicians by helping them maintain support after a scandal. We posit that this benefit, known as the "liar's dividend," may be achieved through two politician strategies: by invoking informational uncertainty or by encouraging oppositional rallying of core supporters. We administer five survey experiments to over 15,000 American adults detailing hypothetical politician responses to stories describing real politician scandals. We find that claims of misinformation representing both strategies raise politician support across partisan subgroups. These strategies are effective against text-based reports of scandals, but are largely ineffective against video evidence and do not reduce general trust in media. Finally, these false claims produce greater dividends for politicians than alternative responses to scandal, such as remaining silent or apologizing.