LaCroix sparkling water has had something of a moment, but anything popular comes with detractors. The fruity, low-calorie beverage met its own in October 2018 in the form of a class-action lawsuit that claims, among other things, that the drink contains ingredients used in cockroach insecticide. Chicago-based law firm Beaumont Costales also slammed LaCroix for false …
Imagine, if you will: A presidential election in which even the most basic facts are riddled with confusing disinformation, a far-right candidate appealing to authoritarians and repulsing many women with misogynistic comments, and connections to political aspirants such as Marine Le Pen and Steve Bannon. This is Brazil in 2018, and the person who was …
Brazil Holds Election Amid Disinformation, Propaganda Crisis Read More »
A viral video making the social media rounds on October 4th, 2018 shows President Donald Trump carefully ascending the stairs to Air Force One on the tarmac in Minneapolis, Minnesota — with a piece of paper stuck to the back of his left shoe, then pausing at the top and waving before disappearing into the …
Did President Donald Trump Board Air Force One With Paper Stuck to His Shoe? Read More »
In early October 2018, the usual purveyors and pushers of disinformation were anxious to take advantage of the controversy surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to ride the ad revenue wave from whatever satire or clickbait they could think up. Most of that centered around various outlandish rumors surrounding his multiple accusers, but at least …
Testing for a new cellular phone alert system (the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, also known as IPAWS) began on October 3rd, 2018, with a tone and a message sent across mobile networks. The grumbling began almost immediately, as startled or irritated Americans reacted to the unsolicited (but anticipated) test, but the griping turned …
Do Mobile Phones and Other 4G Devices Contain an ‘E911 Chip’? Read More »
In early October 2018, many people in the United States and abroad were closely watching the twists and turns around a Supreme Court nomination as multiple women accused the nominee of committing or abetting sexual assault. Almost immediately, bots, trolls, and useful idiots picked up on the controversy, muddying the waters with rumors, gossip, and …
Were the Obamas Forced to Surrender Their Law Licenses? Read More »
The “Star Wars” franchise was not immune from the sort of controversy that has seeped into every tiny nook and cranny of the American public discourse, thanks to the ubiquity of social media and those who wish to exploit conflicts in order to create chaos. In that vein, the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi was …
Bots, Trolls Propelled Faux ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Controversy Read More »
On October 1, 2018, as much of the United States was preoccupied with stories about sexual assault, drinking, and fighting by a Supreme Court nominee, the Trump administration enacted a policy change affecting diplomats. A September 13 memo to United Nations staff laid out the changes: 3. Since 2009, the United Nations has been informed that …
Trump Administration Ends Visas to Unmarried Same-Sex Partners of Diplomats Read More »
October 2018 opened with confusion among the American political set over an investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after multiple women publicly accused him of sexual assault. One woman, California psychology professor and Stanford University researcher Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, appeared during a day-long hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in late September to …
Did a Veteran Sex Crimes Prosecutor Say Christine Blasey Ford ‘Has No Case’? Read More »
The days following a September 27th, 2018 hearing before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, in which Palo Alto University professor and Stanford research psychologist Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh violently assaulted her during a party more than three decades before, swirled with increasingly bizarre stories about a grand conspiracy. …
The ‘Amy Schumer Is Actually Christine Blasey Ford’ Conspiracy Theory Read More »
