What the ‘is Trump dead?’ rumours reveal about our current moment
Speculation that swirled on social media offered an insight into conspiracy theories online, liberal fantasies and the attention economy
The death of Joseph Stalin took days to become public and remains fodder for conspiracy theories. The death of Donald Trump has spawned countless tweets, TikToks and memes long before it even happens.
“How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?” asked Fox News’s Peter Doocy with tongue in cheek. “Did you see that?”
“No,” Trump responded flatly on Tuesday as senators and administration officials gathered around him in the Oval Office shifted their weight and smiled.
Related Knowledge Center: Social media
Social media platforms are the source of news for millions of people — and they have a fraught and ever-shifting relationship with the enterprises that provide that news.
The TikTok ban | The Meta-FTC trial
Related Knowledge Center: Information integrity
In an increasingly fractured media landscape, truth has been a casualty in the public discussion. Coverage has been warped by the business needs of struggling news organizations, and a significant segment of the public relies on bad-faith outlets that are little more than propagandists. While fact-checking has become routine, some organizations are exploring other ways to combat the trends. And misinformation spewed by AI-driven chatbots has become more of a feature than simply a bug.
Fact-checking and its detractors