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Conspiracy Theories

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The Superspreaders Behind Top COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories
  • 15 February 2021
The Associated Press collaborated with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab on a nine-month...
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr. Kicked off Instagram for Vaccine Misinformation
  • 11 February 2021
Instagram has banned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for repeatedly posting misinformation about vaccine safety and...
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FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump hold signs as they attend a "Stop The Steal" rally, protesting the outcome of the presidential election, at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore. After a 2020 election cycle dominated by conspiracy theories and false claims about voting, top election officials across the country are looking ahead to future elections and grappling with how they can counter a wave of misinformation that led to violent threats against them and ultimately a deadly riot at the Capitol. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)
Election Officials Say Combating Lies Will Be Big Challenge
  • 4 February 2021
After an election season dominated by conspiracy theories and false claims about voting, top election...
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FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2020, file photo, a man in a QAnon T-shirt walks among Trump supporters as they wait for President Donald Trump to arrive and visit Mariotti Building Products in Old Forge, Pa.Experts and former QAnon believers say they have tips for anyone wondering how to talk to people consumed by the conspiracy theory. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma, File)
Moving on from QAnon? Experts Say These Tips Could Help
  • 29 January 2021
Experts and former QAnon believers interviewed by The Associated Press offered several tips for individuals...
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FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, Trump supporters, including Doug Jensen, center, confront U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington. Some followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory are now turning to online support groups and even therapy to help them move on, now that it's clear Donald Trump's presidency is over. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Checked by Reality, Some QAnon Supporters Seek a Way out
  • 28 January 2021
After Donald Trump departed the White House, some QAnon adherents have concocted ever more elaborate...
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FILE - In this March 19, 2020, file photo, a biosafety protective suit for handling viral diseases are hung up in a biosafety level 4 training facility at U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., where scientists are working to help develop solutions to prevent, detect and treat the coronavirus. China is trying to spread doubt about the effectiveness of Western vaccines and the origin of the coronavirus as a World Health Organization-selected team of scientists are in the city where the pandemic first broke out. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
China Pushes Conspiracy Theories on COVID Origin, Vaccines
  • 25 January 2021
Chinese state media have stoked concerns about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, despite rigorous trials indicating it...
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FILE - In this May 14, 2020, file photo, a person wears a vest supporting QAnon at a protest rally in Olympia, Wash., against Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington state stay-at-home orders made in efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. President Joe Biden's inauguration has sown a mixture of anger, confusion and disappointment among believers in the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Inauguration Sows Doubt Among QAnon Conspiracy Theorists
  • 20 January 2021
QAnon followers grappled with anger, confusion and disappointment as President Joe Biden was sworn into...
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FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2020, file photo, a county election worker scans mail-in ballots at a tabulating area at the Clark County Election Department in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Election Claims, and Why It’s Clear Biden Won
  • 19 January 2021
What's the evidence that the 2020 election was valid and Biden is the duly elected...
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FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol in Washington. As rioters converged on the U.S. Capitol building, the grounds normally hailed as the seat of American democracy became a melting pot of extremist groups. Militia members, white supremacists, paramilitary organizations and fervent supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stood shoulder to shoulder, unified in rage. Experts say years of increasing partisanship and a growing fascination of paramilitary groups combined with the coronavirus pandemic to create a conveyor belt of radicalization. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Mix of Extremists Who Stormed Capitol Isn’t Retreating
  • 13 January 2021
As rioters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol, the seat of American democracy became a...
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FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, Trump supporters participate in a rally in Washington. Far-right social media users for weeks openly hinted in widely shared posts that chaos would erupt at the U.S. Capitol while Congress convened to certify the election results. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Mob at U.S. Capitol Encouraged by Online Conspiracy Theories
  • 7 January 2021
The president encouraged his Twitter and Facebook followers to attend the rally, at times using...
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Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber at the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Experts: Capitol Riot Product of Years of Hateful Rhetoric
  • 6 January 2021
The storming of the U.S. Capitol is a jarring but natural product of years of...
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A group holds signs rallying in support of the “Save the Children” movement, calling for an end to child trafficking Sept. 26, 2020, in Morris, Ill. Conversations about “Save the Children” have spiked on social media in recent months and some supporters have taken to city and suburban streets across the U.S. to promote their new cause. Their catchphrase was first made popular online by conspiracy theorists promoting QAnon. (AP Photo/Amanda Seitz)
QAnon’s ‘Save the Children’ Morphs into Popular Slogan
  • 28 October 2020
The “Save the Children” effort emerged earlier this year as a splinter movement from QAnon,...
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