People love playing detective whenever a tragic incident like an assassination attempt becomes news. The attempted assassination of Donald Trump yesterday is sparking a similar reaction. Problem is, the play-detectives are hindering the dissemination of actual truth. Social media is buzzing with conspiracy theories from both sides of the political spectrum. Authorities are relaying facts slowly, but the inquisitive public is tending to go over them and create facts of their own. The public therefore, is at crossroads when it comes to understanding such sensitive and fast-building topics.
From shooting being staged to Biden being behind the attack, and more such misinformation made the rounds online
Trump fans are accusing Biden himself of orchestrating the attack. Their counterparts on the Democrat side, however, are saying Trump staged the attack on his own. On Trump’s side, even House Representatives have joined in the rumor brigade too, holding Biden responsible for the attacks. Bloomberg reports that their tweets have received more than 7.3 million likes. Social media users had also labeled an Italian sports journalist as the shooter, citing false evidence as proof.
The FBI reported later on that the perpetrator was a 20-year-old man, who was killed after the attack. He also killed a volunteer fire chief in his pursuit to attack Trump.
Social media has all sorts of claims, including casting doubt on Secret Service’s security measures. There’s also an AI image that shows Trump smiling after the attack, implying that the shooting was staged. People online are getting access to bits and pieces of information out of nowhere, and spinning all kinds of stories.
Tense situations like these are where fanatics shine
Experts agree that such tense situations are the time for online extremists – who are of extreme opinions and are more passionate about their cause than learned. Trump loyalists and haters fall into this category. When such an important story breaks out, it presents an incentive to these people. The situation is tense and not many details have been confirmed. These extremists then “react with great confidence,” to the situation, without providing any evidence to their arguments.
These immediate and emotional claims tend to throw the general public off track, keeping it at a distance from real facts. It becomes difficult for officials and journos to break through the sea of misinformation and provide the truth, which is seldom as grand and colorful as the speculations. Fact-checking has become the need of the hour for the media and the informed audience, so that cooked-up theories are kept from being able to control the narrative.
