Pizzagate conspiracy theory
Template:New unreviewed article Pizzagate is a debunked[1][2][3][4] conspiracy theory started by an Alt-right Twitter account and spread by 4chan users,[5] claiming that the Podesta emails leaked by Wikileak supposedly tied a number of pizzerias and members of the Democratic party to an imaginary child-sex ring.[1][2][3][4][5]
Spread on social media
BuzzFeed traced the start of the conspiracy theory to a viral Tweet written on October 30, 2016 that claimed that emails found on Anthony Weiner's laptop purportedly revealed the existence of a pedophilia ring. The rumor that the FBI had found evidence that Hillary Clinton was involved in child trafficking spread on right-wing blogs and 4chan.[5] PolitiFact investigated these claims and found no evidence for them.[2] Around this time, some Twitter users started speculating that the Podesta emails contained code words about sex trafficking.[5]
Redditors from /r/The_Donald further developed this theory, and the "Pizzagate" subreddit was created.[1] This subreddit was banned on November 23, 2016 for violating Reddit's policy against doxing, as users would post the personal details of people imagined to connected to this conspiracy.[6] Members of the Pizzagate subreddit moved to Voat.[7]
After the ban, users on /r/The_Donald expressed outrage at Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, which prompted Huffman to edit the comments the users were making without their knowledge.[8][failed verification]
This theory became popular on Turkish social media and in Turkish publications. According to The Daily Dot, this was likely an attempt to draw attention away from child abuse problems within Turkey at the time.[9]
References
- ^ a b c The New York Times [1]
- ^ a b c Emery Jr., C. Eugene (November 4, 2016). "Evidence ridiculously thin for sensational claim of huge underground Clinton sex network". PolitiFact. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
- ^ a b Snopes.com [2]
- ^ a b Washington City Paper [3]
- ^ a b c d Silverman, Craig (November 4, 2016). "How A Completely False Claim About Hillary Clinton Went From A Conspiracy Message Board To Big Right Wing Blogs". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
- ^ Ohlheiser, Abby (November 24, 2016). "Fearing yet another witch hunt, Reddit bans 'Pizzagate'". Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ Cavanaugh, Darien (November 27, 2016). "'Pizzagate' Emails, Conspiracy Theory Continue To Draw Attention". The Inquisitr News. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "Reddit CEO Steve Huffman admits changing posts made by Donald Trump supporters". BBC. November 24, 2016.
- ^ Sozeri, Efe Kerem (November 23, 2016). "How the alt-right's PizzaGate conspiracy hid real scandal in Turkey". The Daily Dot. Retrieved November 25, 2016.