US Elections 2024: conspiracy theories boosted by 'Stolen Satire'

Did a supporter of Donald Trump burn his home while attempting to burn an LGBTQ flag? Did an orthodox think tank propose "period passports" to track pregnancies? Was Kamala Harris's running mate criticized by his state's expert football team?

Don’t be bewildered. That's satire.

Anyways, it's not a laughing matter.

These claims have been largely mistaken for fact on social media, highlighting how satirical content is being repurposed to propagate political deception before the presidential election on November 5.

The nonprofit News Literacy Project (NLP) refers to this type of fake news as "stolen satire"—taking satirical content out of its original factors and presenting it as factual information without exact disclaimers.

"The ones who are not aware that it's a joke take it seriously," says Hannah Covington, a senior director at NLP.

Ahead of the National Football League season, social media users falsely claimed that the Minnesota Vikings had publicly criticized Tim Walz, the state’s governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, doubting his leadership. Actually, the Vikings had not made such statement.

AFP's fact-checkers investigated the falsehood back to the FB page of America's Last Line of Defense, a network of mockery websites created by Christopher Blair.

The group makes it crystal clear that "everything is fake."

Blair noted that his viewers shares these claims because they line up with their confirmation-biased views of the world.

"They don’t necessarily share them because they trust them," he told AFP. "For about 35M Americans, whether something is real no longer matters. If it fits their story, they will pass it along."

Such humorous fiction—often moved around by both political sides—may generate comedy, but researchers are baffled by its potential to bewilder the public.

"Sharing weaponized false news in the form of lazy spoofs has quickly defined the emerging presidential drive between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris," tech writer Casey Newton mentioned in an online commentary.

"Across social networks, Democrats and Republicans are overwhelming feeds with clearly wrong statements about each other, labeling it as comedy."

Some viral posts falsely claimed that an Iowa Trump supporter mistakenly burned down his house while trying to fire up an LGBTQ flag, labeling him as "stupid" and "homophobic." However, AFP found this story sprung up in satire.

Other false claims suggested that plan of action in 2025, a set of policy recommendations from the conservative Heritage Foundation, prescribed for "period passports" to monitor women's menstrual cycles and pregnancies. The Heritage Foundation, associated with Trump's scheme, clarified that this declaration was "completely wrong."

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