News Literacy Project

Pushes educators to teach students to label facts as conspiracies:

>Down the Rabbit Hole: Why People Fall for Conspiracy Theories

>And how to talk to those who have fallen for falsehoods.

>Conspiracy theories have never felt more mainstream. From persistent falsehoods about COVID-19 and vaccines to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, it’s clear that those who fall into echo chambers online can cause tremendous harm offline. But how—and why—is this problem so pervasive?

>These are the questions we think about daily at The News Literacy Project, the leading provider of news literacy education in the U.S. Here, we’re sharing a collection of articles and podcasts to help you understand the appeal of conspiratorial thinking, and how recent events have been influenced by conspiratorial beliefs. Plus, you’ll find resources to help you talk to anyone in your life who’s fallen down the rabbit hole and needs a hand climbing out—whether they realize it or not.

Examples:

QAnon is muhconspiracy

>But the “golden age” of conspiracy theories, it seems, is now. On June 24, 2022, the unknown leader of the QAnon conspiracy theory posted online for the first time in over a year. QAnon’s enthusiasts tend to be ardent supporters of Donald Trump, who made conspiracy theories a signature feature of his political brand, from Pizzagate and QAnon to “Stop the Steal” and the racist “birther” movement. Key themes in conspiracy theories – like a sinister network of “pedophiles” and “groomers,” shadowy “bankers” and “globalists” – have moved into the mainstream of right-wing talking points.

>The Great (Fake) Child-Sex-Trafficking Epidemic

>well-meaning Americans are duped into believing and supporting a cause—in this case, a conspiracy theory that was pushed through the #SaveOurChildren hashtag, and went mainstream quickly.

Also - they poison the well with

>Birds don't exist conspiracy

>Flat earth conspiracy

>Tiffany Dover is dead conspiracy

These people are poisoning our children's minds.

Brought to you by all the usual suspects in the big media organizations.

sauces:

https://getpocket.com/collections/going-down-the-rabbit-hole-why-people-fall-for-conspiracy-theories\

https://newslit.org/

BoltOn wants to be president:

>Bolton said during a televised interview Sunday he "is prepared to get into the race" for president in 2024 to stop his former boss.

>"I think to be a presidential candidate you can't simply say I support the Constitution; you have to say I would oppose people who would undercut it," Bolton told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "We used to have a thing in the House of Representatives called the House Un-American Affairs Committee. I think when you challenge the Constitution itself the way Trump himself has done, that is un-American. I'm prepared to get in the race."

>Bolton served as one of Trump's national security advisers from 2018-19 before being fired.

sauce:

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/bolton-president-trump/2023/01/06/id/1103302/