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Oct 18, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger |Abbie Richards
Misinformation about the responses to hurricanes Helene and Milton— ranging from accusations that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is failing to mobilize resources to hard-hit areas to conspiracy theories that the government controls the weather — has surged across social media platforms in the past several weeks.
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Oct 9, 2024 | 
flipboard.com | Abbie Richards
Emotional North Carolina Man Blames Trump for MAGA Father-in-Law Refusing Hurricane Help Over FEMA Conspiracy: ‘It’s A Cult!’An emotional North Carolina man blamed former President Donald Trump for his father-in-law’s refusal to get help from FEMA due to conspiracy …
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Oct 8, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Abbie Richards
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation in the southeastern U.S., misinformation and conspiracy theories have stirred up calls for violence and mass mobilization against Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel on TikTok, in posts which have garnered millions of views.
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Abbie Richards
Audio clips of Hitler giving speeches in English, which appear to be AI-generated, have been proliferating on TikTok, earning millions of views. Some users have been promoting and praising the audios in an apparent violation of TikTok’s community guidelines. While some of these audios — which are often poorly translated and set to slow, reverb instrumental beats — have been removed, Media Matters has identified accounts dedicated to uploading this content.
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Sep 12, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Abbie Richards
Project 2025 is an extreme right-wing initiative organized by The Heritage Foundation that provides the next Republican presidential administration with conservative policy recommendations. The proposals suggested in its nearly 900-page policy book — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise — present a major threat to Americans on issues ranging from LGBTQ and civil rights to the integrity of the federal government itself.
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Jul 22, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger |Abbie Richards
As Texas and the Caribbean recover from Hurricane Beryl, conspiracy theorists on TikTok say flooding from the Category 5 storm was actually caused by the movements of an ancient mythological sea serpent called a Leviathan. Rapidly intensifying from a tropical depression on June 28 to a Category 5 hurricane by July 2, Beryl was the earliest recorded Category 5 storm in Atlantic history.
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Mar 7, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Abbie Richards
TikTok is being flooded with formulaic, seemingly AI-generated conspiracy theory videos that are garnering millions of views. AI-generated conspiracy theory videos on TikTok can be highly profitable, according to content creators, with TikTok’s Creativity Program Beta creating a financial incentive for low-quality, engagement-driven content. Unsurprisingly, these conditions make the perfect environment for conspiracy theories to thrive.
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Feb 9, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Abbie Richards
Content warning: This piece features graphic imagery and descriptions of violent events. After Justin Mohn allegedly killed and beheaded his father on January 30, he uploaded a video to YouTube in which he holds the severed head aloft while spouting right-wing conspiracy theories. The video remained on YouTube for over five hours, garnering roughly 5,000 views. Now, copies of Mohn’s violent propaganda and related deepfakes have garnered millions of views on TikTok.
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Feb 8, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Abbie Richards |Carly Evans
Users are exploiting TikTok’s Creativity Program by pumping out viral conspiracy theory content, using AI-generated images and voices for profit. While scrolling the popular video-sharing platform, users may come across conspiracy theories seemingly read by an AI-generated voice and presented along with a series of apparently AI-generated images.
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Jan 29, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Abbie Richards |Jack Winstanley |Carly Evans
Over the past decade, Russell Brand has gone from left-wing comedian to right-wing darling — a shift that highlights the powerful economic incentives for conspiracy theorists online. When The Guardian named Brand one of the “Heroes of 2014,” the article described him as “the best thing that has happened to the left in years.” Now, Brand hosts a show called Stay Free, where he uncritically platforms right-wing figures and baseless conspiracy theories.
