Internet lies about mass shootings block engagement

Just as with the Sandy Hook, Parkland and other mass shootings, false claims proliferated online about the shootings at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The usual claim was that the shooting was staged but also that the gunman was living illegally in the U.S. or transgender. The claims block real discussion of the problem of gun violence and allow people to avoid reality and fix blame. (The Associated Press, May 26, 2022, by David Klepper and Ali Swenson)

The phenomenon draws importance in that the lies are moving from obscure platforms to members of Congress as politicians exploit them to bolster their political stances. (Axios, May 31, 2022, by Sara Fischer and Alison Snyder)

For related FAC coverage, click here, here and here.