US gun violence spawns a new epidemic: conspiracy theorists harassing victims

[malaise]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/28/us-guns-mass-shootings-hoax-conspiracy-theories
<snip>
Mike Cronk was sitting half-naked on a street corner, hands covered in blood, when the TV news reporter approached. The 48-year-old, who had used his shirt to try to plug a bullet wound in his friend’s chest, recounted in a live interview how a young man he did not know had just died in his arms.

Cronk’s story of surviving the worst mass shooting in modern US history went viral, but many people online weren’t calling him a hero. On YouTube, dozens of videos, viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, claimed Cronk was an actor hired to play the part of a victim in the Las Vegas mass shooting on 1 October.

Conspiracy theorists harassed him on Facebook, sending messages like “How much did they pay you?” and “How does it feel to be part of a hoax?” The claims multiplied and soon YouTube’s algorithm began actively promoting the conspiracy theory.

Two months later, Cronk’s online reputation appears damaged beyond repair. Type “Mike Cronk” into Google and YouTube, and the sites automatically suggest searches for “actor” and “fake”, leading to popular videos claiming he and his wounded friend were performers and that the Mandalay Bay tragedy that killed 58 people never happened.

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There are no words

[Cattledog]

1. Un-Freakin-believable

[guillaumeb]

2. With this post, you might represent the next circle

in the conspiracy to promote factual reporting.

Trump voters prefer fake news to actual news that conflicts with their programming.

[malaise]

8. The sad truth is that even if they saw the dead victims

they would not believe.

[guillaumeb]

11. It conflicts with their narrative.

Some voters are always fooled.

[maxrandb]

10. Sorry, but this post

More represents that this country is not in the first circle in the conspiracy to promote factual reporting... but is fully driving headlong into the first circle of hell.

2018 might be too late to pull us out.

[safeinOhio]

3. Republicons

Always blame the victim. They have no shame.

[malaise]

9. They are beyond sick

seriously

[Archae]

4. Adding to this mess...

Today Alex Jones said the Las Vegas shooting was as fake as Obama's birth certificate.

These assholes need to be slapped, but good.

[malaise]

5. They're still pushing that birther shit?

Media and the public need to shut them up. This is so unfair to victim's relatives. I remember when they started this shit after Sandy Hook. Who are these morons?

[Archae]

6. Goes before Sandy Point.

"Moon Hoax"

"CIA/Illuminati/Jews/Cubans/whoever killed JFK/RFK/MLK"

And so on...

[malaise]

7. True but Sandy Hook was when they decided that the children and their teachers

were not murdered - it was all made up.

[Mr. Evil]

15. Imagine a video plastered all over the internet

of Alex Jones' HQ being obliterated with every kind of gunfire you can imagine. All the while the videographer is yelling "False flag! False flag!" Except in this case he is given the opportunity to get out beforehand and made to watch his empire reduced to rubble. He is not only an enemy of Americans, he is an enemy of humanity. I'd like to see his report on that.

[malaise]

16. +1,000

I could not state it with such effect

[Initech]

12. It's been happening since Sandy Hook.

Which is why I call this process "Sandy Hooking". The right will do anything to stop any meaningful gun legislation from being passed, so they will resort to such a low as to harass the victims of a mass shooting. It's fucking horrible, and the harassers and accusers are awful excuses for human beings. It needs to stop. Fuck conspiracy theorists.

[malaise]

13. +1,000

Detestable, despicable 'deplorables'.

[Oneironaut]

14. Between flat earthers and shooting hoaxsters, mass stupidity seems to be spreading.

[malaise]

17. Isn't that the truth

Ignorance appears to be bliss