I’ve just spent longer than I’d care to admit trying to complete this exercise! I started on Facebook but wasn’t having much luck, so I switched to X, which was even worse. I used to follow several news outlets on X when it was Twitter, but these days I see virtually no news in my feed (presumably because there are so many bots). I finally did stumble across a post by Elon Musk (whom I do not follow, for the record), in which he reposted a piece by Zero Hedge. That led me to the Zero Hedge website, which was interesting. Upon immediate inspection, there was nothing obviously pro-Trump or pro-MAGA, but I got an overall rightwing vibe. Sure enough, when I did a bit of Googling, I found they were described as ‘far-right, libertarian, and anti-establishment’. By this point my brain was melting and I couldn’t bear to continue slogging through the cesspit.
I subscribe to the NYT, WaPo, and The New Yorker, and of course here in the UK I have access to the Guardian and the BBC, among other international sources. All of these obviously either have their own biases or they have contributors with their own biases — but at least I am aware of the sources and know that they are generally respected, and I can compare and contrast. It is very different trying to glean anything from the random posters that now appear in my social media feeds.
Caitlin, I followed your lead on describing the time you spent doing this exercise. I feel ya!
I took a little different approach, having consumed or heard from friends about some current events + pop culture happenings. I knew of stories/examples fulfilling these categories. I had the Altman links (propaganda) because of having in my notes. The Gavin Newsom article (clickbait) was forwarded from a friend. The celebrity clone/replacements (conspiracy theory) has unfortunately take up space in my pop culture brain, so I Googled the recent Jim Carrey accusations. The disinformation was bumpy for me. I knew the Epstein Files activities is something that came to mind, however, I went down that rabbit hole.
One thing on news and events – I also rely on my networks (mentioned in previous exercise – https://pkm.jarche.ca/1-networks/#comment-2260) and being in conversation. I have friends, family, and extended family who certainly have contrary perspectives. I’ll ask them to share their sources. Admittedly, it has become apparent which folks are shaped by the repetition of disinformation.
On various FAKE NEWS, I list examples for the 4 categories. In the reply, I followed Caitlin’s lead. She shared her process of doing this exercise as it unfolded. (And I did end up down a “rabbit hole” on DISINFORMATION, which was the last topic I looked for examples.)
2. DISINFORMATION
Handling of Epstein files
The Department of Justice (DOJ) handling of files (e.g., redaction, loss, removal from database, etc.) is a form (and act) of disinformation that can/is reshaping the narratives of victims and criminals. I also realize the coverage and reporting of this source/the files has conspiracy theories and propaganda abound.
FYI – There is this wiki, “EPSTEIN WIKI, Uncovering the Truth They Tried to Bury”, https://epsteinwiki.com/ – with its knowledge base space – https://epsteinwiki.com/knowledge-base/ – described as “EpsteinWiki is a publicly accessible research archive organizing the full evidentiary record of the Jeffrey Epstein network — criminal cases, civil litigation, flight logs, depositions, property records, and institutional investigations — into a searchable Knowledge Base built for journalists, researchers, and the public.”
FWIW, on Tuesday, I will picking up from the library “Nobody’s Girl / a Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice” by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Part of book description – “The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. But her story has never been told in full, in her own words–until now. In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written inthe years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. …”
3. CONSPIRACY THEORY
Celebrities being cloned or replaced with body double (and this is not satire)
Actor Jim Carrey – At a recent awards show (César Awards in Paris), theory that Carrey was a clone or body double because of his looking different from past years. An article, “Jim Carrey’s ‘Unrecognisable’ Look at César Awards Fuels Cloning Theory Again\” (2026 Feb 27) – https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/jim-carrey-cesar-awards-cloning-theories-1781918
EXERCISE in one sitting (much longer than I expected when I got to disinformation), the following describes my process per Caitlin’s lead, backfilling each of the four categories in the order I gathered info.
Conspiracy Theory and Clickbait came to mind immediately – MAYBE because I’m somewhat immersed in “pop culture” through a sketch comedy/stand-up writers room group.
– Conspiracy theory – This celebrity clones/replacements is a carry-over from having heard over the years of other celebrities. Jim Carrey is among the most recent I’ve heard.
– Clickbait – The New York Post is reliable for “clickbait” article titles.
Propaganda was next (because I was putting off Disinformation). For Propaganda, AI-related was on my mind, and Altman is easy peasy (… although Palantir’s Karp is close). I chose a story that had its origin in video, for which social media readily picked up via reels/clips (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, etc.) then later talked about in print.
Disinformation – (Ugh) activities on “releasing” of the Epstein files (https://www.justice.gov/epstein) and narratives about its content have disinformation (and conspiracy theories). I started going down “rabbit holes” such as perspective pieces, news outlets (e.g., Fox News, Breitbart, etc) and to quote –
“I couldn’t bear to continue slogging through the cesspit.” ~ Caitlin K. (March 2026)
The Jim Carrey thing has been absolutely fascinating to watch unfold. I did not realise, until I saw your post, that this is a type of conspiracy theory that has a long history.
I think the ‘stitch’ feature of many social media apps is interesting because of how it allows all sorts of people to weigh in on this and other types of fake news. In my feeds, at least, there are often people who go line by line to fact check and point out inconsistencies. One (of many many) is a biblical scholar named Dan McClellan, who did his PhD at my university; he was recently featured in a story in WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/03/08/religion-online-influencers-young-people/. He has really interesting posts — and his book is along the same lines — where he looks at what people *think* the Bible says and then talks about what it *actually* says, both in terms of the words themselves (across multiple translations) and the various interpretations over time. I like that there are folks out there doing this sort of teaching, and I also like that they are modelling the practice of criticality so other people can see what sorts of rhetoric is used to pull the wool over our eyes.
Your comment, Caitlin, about ” … the ‘stitch’ feature of many social media apps is interesting because of how it allows all sorts of people to weigh in on this and other types of fake news.” – ALSO makes me think of the other side of the coin, so to speak. Folks who weigh in by aligning with other folks, like what you and I have talked about. There are folks who “cosplay” others’ knowledge, experiences, teachings, etc. – where cosplay may be rather than transform, they are derivative, plagiarize, or create a wonky parasocial relationship with whomever they are stitching.
Ivermectin, which is a medicine for horses and people with roundworm, is now available to be prescribed to people (likely not with roundworm) through pharmacies in Iowa.
I’ve just spent longer than I’d care to admit trying to complete this exercise! I started on Facebook but wasn’t having much luck, so I switched to X, which was even worse. I used to follow several news outlets on X when it was Twitter, but these days I see virtually no news in my feed (presumably because there are so many bots). I finally did stumble across a post by Elon Musk (whom I do not follow, for the record), in which he reposted a piece by Zero Hedge. That led me to the Zero Hedge website, which was interesting. Upon immediate inspection, there was nothing obviously pro-Trump or pro-MAGA, but I got an overall rightwing vibe. Sure enough, when I did a bit of Googling, I found they were described as ‘far-right, libertarian, and anti-establishment’. By this point my brain was melting and I couldn’t bear to continue slogging through the cesspit.
I subscribe to the NYT, WaPo, and The New Yorker, and of course here in the UK I have access to the Guardian and the BBC, among other international sources. All of these obviously either have their own biases or they have contributors with their own biases — but at least I am aware of the sources and know that they are generally respected, and I can compare and contrast. It is very different trying to glean anything from the random posters that now appear in my social media feeds.
Caitlin, I followed your lead on describing the time you spent doing this exercise. I feel ya!
I took a little different approach, having consumed or heard from friends about some current events + pop culture happenings. I knew of stories/examples fulfilling these categories. I had the Altman links (propaganda) because of having in my notes. The Gavin Newsom article (clickbait) was forwarded from a friend. The celebrity clone/replacements (conspiracy theory) has unfortunately take up space in my pop culture brain, so I Googled the recent Jim Carrey accusations. The disinformation was bumpy for me. I knew the Epstein Files activities is something that came to mind, however, I went down that rabbit hole.
One thing on news and events – I also rely on my networks (mentioned in previous exercise – https://pkm.jarche.ca/1-networks/#comment-2260) and being in conversation. I have friends, family, and extended family who certainly have contrary perspectives. I’ll ask them to share their sources. Admittedly, it has become apparent which folks are shaped by the repetition of disinformation.
And for better or for worse, I also watch videos and listen to podcast. On videos, I have sat through select Jubilee “Surrounded” videos (episodes – https://www.youtube.com/show/VLPLBVNJo7nhINQ6qGkFlgtK-0GW0_NOS4k7?season=AllEpisodes&sbp=CgtBbGxFcGlzb2RlcxoAKgtXVjI5UjFNMjVuOEAB ). A few I’ve revisited –
– Dr. Mike (Dr. Mike vs 20 RFK Jr. Supporters) – https://youtu.be/y90R8BPc8Ag?si=RxJKh40huDDDjdHo
(confession – I am a Dr. Mike fan.)
– Bryan Johnson (Bryan Johnson vs 20 Skeptics) – https://youtu.be/sPCZhLCkJaY?si=HjY8faP488kK6p_b
(You and I have talked about this fellow, the one with the Netflix documentary.)
– Amanda Seales (1 Black Radical vs 20 Black Conservatives) – https://youtu.be/jRcejaxTsFM?si=5sK4VVjdQqtzA-l8
(I have friends on both sides of the perspectives shared.)
On various FAKE NEWS, I list examples for the 4 categories. In the reply, I followed Caitlin’s lead. She shared her process of doing this exercise as it unfolded. (And I did end up down a “rabbit hole” on DISINFORMATION, which was the last topic I looked for examples.)
1. PROPAGANDA
Words coming out of Sam Altman’s mouth
“Sam Altman Says Caring for a Baby Is Now Impossible Without ChatGPT” (2025 December 10), https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sam-altman-caring-baby-impossible-without-chatgpt – This article is an account of Altman’s guest appearance on a U.S. late-night talk show. (Video clip – https://youtu.be/qMAg8_yf9zA?si=mqmeDGB96Ca97Tin – of guest appearance). While the article is NOT directly propaganda, it speaks to Altman’s AI propaganda spew.
Sharing this in conversation with MIT President Sally Kornbluthk, as part of Altman’s distributing his propaganda – “Sam Altman believes AI will change the world (and everything else)” (2024 May 8), https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/sam-altman-believes-ai-will-change-world-and-everything-else – video (52:35) – https://youtu.be/_Vik6UJTFyk?si=TAloebh3TrsSRbvb
2. DISINFORMATION
Handling of Epstein files
The Department of Justice (DOJ) handling of files (e.g., redaction, loss, removal from database, etc.) is a form (and act) of disinformation that can/is reshaping the narratives of victims and criminals. I also realize the coverage and reporting of this source/the files has conspiracy theories and propaganda abound.
FYI – There is this wiki, “EPSTEIN WIKI, Uncovering the Truth They Tried to Bury”, https://epsteinwiki.com/ – with its knowledge base space – https://epsteinwiki.com/knowledge-base/ – described as “EpsteinWiki is a publicly accessible research archive organizing the full evidentiary record of the Jeffrey Epstein network — criminal cases, civil litigation, flight logs, depositions, property records, and institutional investigations — into a searchable Knowledge Base built for journalists, researchers, and the public.”
FWIW, on Tuesday, I will picking up from the library “Nobody’s Girl / a Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice” by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Part of book description – “The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. But her story has never been told in full, in her own words–until now. In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written inthe years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. …”
3. CONSPIRACY THEORY
Celebrities being cloned or replaced with body double (and this is not satire)
Actor Jim Carrey – At a recent awards show (César Awards in Paris), theory that Carrey was a clone or body double because of his looking different from past years. An article, “Jim Carrey’s ‘Unrecognisable’ Look at César Awards Fuels Cloning Theory Again\” (2026 Feb 27) – https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/jim-carrey-cesar-awards-cloning-theories-1781918
Broader conspiracy theory that there has been cloning / replacements in Hollywood – “After rumour that Selena Gomez died in 2017, internet is now obsessed with Jim Carrey and Megan Fox clone theories” (2026 March 04), https://poprant.indiatimes.com/trending/after-rumour-that-selena-gomez-died-in-2017-internet-is-now-obsessed-with-jim-carrey-and-megan-fox-clone-theories/articleshow/129072932.html
My previous workshop (Oct 2025) share
I remember a headline about someone thinking Kanye West is a clone and assuming the article was satire. Came across – Why Kristin Cavallari Thinks Kanye West Is A ‘Clone’ – https://tvshowsace.com/2024/10/15/why-kristin-cavallari-thinks-kanye-west-is-a-clone/
4. CLICKBAIT
The New York Post (not always clickbait, but I can rely on finding a few good titles)
“Gavin Newsom bets antisemitism is the Democratic Party’s future” (2026 March 04), https://nypost.com/2026/03/04/opinion/gavin-newsom-bets-antisemitism-is-the-democratic-partys-future/
EXERCISE in one sitting (much longer than I expected when I got to disinformation), the following describes my process per Caitlin’s lead, backfilling each of the four categories in the order I gathered info.
Conspiracy Theory and Clickbait came to mind immediately – MAYBE because I’m somewhat immersed in “pop culture” through a sketch comedy/stand-up writers room group.
– Conspiracy theory – This celebrity clones/replacements is a carry-over from having heard over the years of other celebrities. Jim Carrey is among the most recent I’ve heard.
– Clickbait – The New York Post is reliable for “clickbait” article titles.
Propaganda was next (because I was putting off Disinformation). For Propaganda, AI-related was on my mind, and Altman is easy peasy (… although Palantir’s Karp is close). I chose a story that had its origin in video, for which social media readily picked up via reels/clips (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, etc.) then later talked about in print.
Disinformation – (Ugh) activities on “releasing” of the Epstein files (https://www.justice.gov/epstein) and narratives about its content have disinformation (and conspiracy theories). I started going down “rabbit holes” such as perspective pieces, news outlets (e.g., Fox News, Breitbart, etc) and to quote –
“I couldn’t bear to continue slogging through the cesspit.” ~ Caitlin K. (March 2026)
The Jim Carrey thing has been absolutely fascinating to watch unfold. I did not realise, until I saw your post, that this is a type of conspiracy theory that has a long history.
I think the ‘stitch’ feature of many social media apps is interesting because of how it allows all sorts of people to weigh in on this and other types of fake news. In my feeds, at least, there are often people who go line by line to fact check and point out inconsistencies. One (of many many) is a biblical scholar named Dan McClellan, who did his PhD at my university; he was recently featured in a story in WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/03/08/religion-online-influencers-young-people/. He has really interesting posts — and his book is along the same lines — where he looks at what people *think* the Bible says and then talks about what it *actually* says, both in terms of the words themselves (across multiple translations) and the various interpretations over time. I like that there are folks out there doing this sort of teaching, and I also like that they are modelling the practice of criticality so other people can see what sorts of rhetoric is used to pull the wool over our eyes.
Your comment, Caitlin, about ” … the ‘stitch’ feature of many social media apps is interesting because of how it allows all sorts of people to weigh in on this and other types of fake news.” – ALSO makes me think of the other side of the coin, so to speak. Folks who weigh in by aligning with other folks, like what you and I have talked about. There are folks who “cosplay” others’ knowledge, experiences, teachings, etc. – where cosplay may be rather than transform, they are derivative, plagiarize, or create a wonky parasocial relationship with whomever they are stitching.
Dan McClellan – new to me. Thanks for this.
TANGENT-ish – Related to religion, a YouTuber I follow is Heliocentric (Jared Smith) (https://www.youtube.com/@HeliocentricOfficial) who is “… an atheist who loves religion” as he describes. He does what he calls “Atheist Church Audit” (YT playlist – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAVjKUTQ7zToYJkuHJUK7zZulPXHV1lpX&si=o15lRQbuzh9IdDa2)
The downstream effects of conspiracy theories:
Ivermectin, which is a medicine for horses and people with roundworm, is now available to be prescribed to people (likely not with roundworm) through pharmacies in Iowa.
https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/03/08/only-six-iowa-house-republicans-voted-against-over-the-counter-ivermectin/
Seen in passing on Mastodon:
https://sfba.social/@drahardja/116217627043651189
Harold, this is a really good explainer (and chilling, no pun intended – or did I intend? lol)