Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay millions in damages for spreading lies about the Sandy Hook school massacre. But even if the penalties shut down Infowars, his influence will remain.
Jones, the creator and face of the conspiracy-peddling website InfoWars, is on the hook for a total of $49.3 million for spreading falsehoods about the 2012 mass shooting at an elementary school.
The InfoWars host and creator will have to pay $4.1 million to two parents whose 6-year-old son was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. Jones spent years claiming the mass shooting as a hoax.
In a time where Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much, the issue of mental health reform was top of mind when Georgia lawmakers crafted a bill that had the backing of experts, advocates and both political parties. But opposition born of disinformation nearly derailed it.
A new survey from the polling firm PRRI breaks down conspiracy theory acceptance by religious group, level of education, and sources of news and information, among other things.
Renee Ekwoge says false and misleading videos on YouTube have changed her dad. What was once a strong, loving relationship has been corrupted, she says, by conspiratorial YouTube videos.
The conspiracy theorist Alex Jones sells dietary supplements through Amazon despite being banned from other platforms. Amazon receives a cut of the profits.
With disinformation spreading on an unprecedented scale, experts in cult deprogramming are turning their focus to those who have fallen down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.
While false conspiracies aren't new, experts say their reach is spreading – accelerated by social media, encouraged by former President Trump, and weaponized in a way that is unprecedented.
In response to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, more than 100 evangelical leaders have published a statement calling on other church heads to speak out against Christian nationalism in their ranks.
Some evangelical circles have incubated and spread conspiracy theories for years. It's part of a movement called Christian nationalism that researchers call a threat to American democracy.
Evangelicals, says Ed Stetzer of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, should start to reckon with their own behaviors and actions that may have helped fuel the insurrection at the Capitol.
The social media giant says it will not allow tweets containing "unsubstantiated rumors, disputed claims" or promotion of "out of context information" about the vaccine.
A change in weather conditions is being seen as a needed assist for nearly 30,000 fire personnel battling blazes. Authorities are also attempting to debunk online rumors about the cause of the fires.
