“Superspreaders” Are Dragging Climate Conspiracies Into the Culture Wars
Climate justice activists at the Cop26 Climate conference in Glasgow, November 2021. A recent report notes the increase of climate change disinformation spreading on social media, particularly around the time of Cop26. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/ZUMA This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Climate…
Monkeypox Disinfo Is Just Like Covid Disinfo—Plus Homophobia
Facts matter: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter. Support our nonprofit reporting. Subscribe to our print magazine.Once upon a time, Alex Berenson was a New York Times journalist covering major stories, from the Iraq war to Hurricane Katrina to the Bernie Madoff scandal. But over the last several years, he’s increasingly focused on…
Pro-Putin Disinformation on Ukraine Is Thriving in Online Anti-Vax Groups
Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen how conspiracy theories can overlap and collide. I’ve documented how anti-vaccine groups embraced QAnon disinformation about liberal elites conspiring to unseat Trump, and how white nationalists find willing audiences for…
Anti-Vaxxers Have a New Obsession: Keeping Your Kids From Seeing Their Doctors
Mother Jones illustratoin; John Rudoff/Sipa/AP; Getty Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.This week, activists in anti-science groups that I monitor are sharing memes suggesting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its developmental milestones for babies and toddlers to account…
Were the Ultra-Conservative “Mama Bears” Youngkin’s Secret Weapon?
Supporters of Glenn Youngkin at an election night party in VirginiaAndrew Harnik/AP Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.In his victory speech on Tuesday night, Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin expressed gratitude to all the usual suspects—campaign volunteers, colleagues, and voters. But afterward, as…
The Facebook Whistleblower Doesn’t Have the Solution
Frances Haugen appears before a Senate hearing.Matt McClain-Pool/Getty Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.Leaks are generally good. Transparency of powerful institutions is generally good. The person, or people, who provide them are generally doing a noble thing. Frances Haugen, the former Facebook…