Elon Musk and others have shared a meme reviving the unfounded ‘pizzagate’ conspiracy theory, claiming that an expert who debunked the theory has been jailed for possessing child sexual abuse images. However, the former ABC reporter referenced in the meme was sentenced for unrelated crimes and never investigated ‘pizzagate’. The conspiracy theory, which suggests that Democratic Party insiders harbored child sex slaves in a Washington, D.C. pizza parlor, was popular during Trump’s 2016 campaign. Musk and others shared a meme implying that the expert who debunked the theory had gone to jail for child porn, but this connection is false. Shereen Siewert reported
In a recent article, the Associated Press debunks several popular but completely untrue stories and visuals that have been widely shared on social media. One of the stories examined is the revival of the unfounded “pizzagate” conspiracy theory by Elon Musk and others. The conspiracy theory, which claimed that Democratic Party insiders were involved in child sex trafficking at a Washington, D.C. pizza parlor, gained popularity during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Musk and others shared a meme claiming that an expert who had debunked the theory had been jailed for possessing child sexual abuse images. However, the meme was based on a fabricated New York Post headline and there is no evidence to support the claim that the expert mentioned in the meme actually investigated “pizzagate.”
Another debunked claim discussed in the article is former President Donald Trump’s misleading citation of “duplicate” ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, as proof of election fraud. Trump referred to a court filing that found errors and inconsistencies in the vote count, including some double counting of ballots. However, the errors were not deemed criminal and did not alter the election results. The court filing was a consent order that addressed procedural issues and did not admit to any criminal activity. Georgia’s election results were tallied three times in 2020, and Joe Biden prevailed in all three counts. Experts have noted that while there were errors, they were not malicious and did not amount to fraud.
Lastly, the article addresses a video that claims to show a Doctors Without Borders medic in the West Bank city of Jenin taking an assault rifle from a man lying on the ground and handing it to another man who begins shooting. The video actually shows a member of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, not Doctors Without Borders, taking the rifle. Doctors Without Borders confirmed that the person in the video is not affiliated with their organization and does not wear their logo or identification. The Palestinian Medical Relief Society works in the West Bank and their members wear orange vests similar to the one worn by the person in the video.
Overall, the article highlights the importance of fact-checking and verifying information before sharing it on social media. These stories and visuals may be popular, but they are completely untrue and can contribute to the spread of misinformation..