It's finally here!! Our podcast diving into an ultra-viral conspiracy theory: A nurse, who fainted after her Covid vaccine in 2020. She's fine ... but the internet decided she was dead. How it started, why it spread, and who it hurt. Hope you'll listen!
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Brandy Zadrozny
@BrandyZadrozny
Senior Reporter — Internet, Platforms, Politics. Librarian forever. Harvard Fellow / Signal 917-603-3968 / Brandy.Zadrozny@nbcuni.com
NYCJoined August 2011
Brandy Zadrozny’s Tweets
Scoop: Doctored videos of Dr. Oz Senate seat challenger that exaggerate his speech issues post-stroke went viral this week on Twitter and TikTok, bringing in hundreds of thousands of views.
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Leaving the #NCICP conference. I’m tired, but so inspired by the advocates I met and the work. These folks have faced so much in the last few years and I’m humbled by their grit and grace and creativity. Leaving with a full heart and lots of story ideas. Thank you, !
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@BrandyZadrozny: Truth needs an advocate, but you need a plan for the abuse that will come your way when you stick your neck out.
#NCICP
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“In 2020, after the election, he started going insane, he went off the deep end," Rebecca Lanis said. "He started going down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and QAnon.”
A sad read from nbcnews.com/news/us-news/m via
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It will shock you to learn that hours after publishing a story about a new wave of satanic panic, my inbox is full of randos calling me a … satanic pedophile.
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Incredible story by here:
Satanic Panic is back. This time it's changing election outcomes, riding the wave of QAnon.
One previously popular Utah attorney lost a Republican primary because of accusations he was sacrificing kids to Satan.
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mike cernovich, who furiously promoted qanon's predecessor, pizzagate, is trying to rebrand as someone who sought to warn people about the dangers of such conspiratorial thinking. i don't know why these guys think that just because they delete their tweets people forgot.
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Should also say: Please send tips of Satanic Panic happening near you. Contact in bio.
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We've been likening aspects of QAnon to the 80s Satanic panic for same time—and with her reporting presents a very convincing case that a for-real Satanic panic is re-emerging.
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During the Satanic Panic, hysteria over protecting children led to false allegations, wrongful imprisonments, decimated communities and neglect of actual cases of abuse. Scholars and experts told me we should prepare for the next round. Hope you'll read.
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A panic becomes one when the fear is no longer confined to a particular side. Apolitical 80s PSAs and infotainment and "awareness" chasing on social media are similar. They can lead to the automatic belief in false accusations. It's happening right now in South Windsor, CT.
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And maybe, like I did, you're thinking "no one actually believes this stuff." Recent polling by suggests we are very wrong.
Look to your left. Look to your right. One of you believes in the widespread abuse of children by devil worshippers.
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This rhetoric comes with consequences. People and places perceived as "satanic" have been the target of harassment, threats and worse in recent months.
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Partisan media and conservative politicians are also boosting newfound fears over the so-called ritualistic abuse of children that the devil supposedly inspires, sometimes weaving the allegations together with other culture war issues such as LGBTQ rights.
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In Provo, the top prosecutor and his wife were branded as cannibals and rapists by QAnon influencers and conspiracy theorists online. When the prosecutor tried to get in front of the allegations, his political opponents used it against him.
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I spent the summer chasing Satan -- talking with people who have been newly accused as "Satanists" or so-called ritualistic abusers. Experts told me we were in a modern day version of the moral panic of the 1980s, when hysteria over the devil reigned.
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"When we talk about politics, we are really talking about media about politics."
What do memes have to do with politics anyway!?! Read an excerpt of Meme Wars and share it, would ya?
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My latest: Bulk text messaging — a tactic that's hard for individuals to filter, increasingly common, and impossible for authorities to monitor — is poised to be the new front for election disinformation:
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Shout out to the copy editor who patiently corrected all my improperly capitalized references to "satanic" stuff today.
Related: interesting story coming tomorrow.
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“If you’re a disinfo reporter, then why won’t you condemn this random tweet speculating about why Trump wore golf shoes to DC????”
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My niece is trying to get her bearded dragon's Instagram account cooking. I told her that people want creative, compelling content that sets your pet apart. She responded by spending 3 hours making a very chaotic custom red carpet & costume for her dragon. instagram.com/p/CiDGv6qsMIq/
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I'M HOSTING THIS WEEK!
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Show’s up! Insight from @prof_jameslong, @RachelDonadio, @YaelFreidson, @rickperlstein, & @Jon_Allsop on how democracies grapple with prosecuting presidents. Plus, how CNN’s moves toward the center reveals some of the issues plaguing political journalism. bit.ly/3d9NugS
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Police and local government force a working mom and victim to solve the crime against her before she can recoup her stolen benefits.
She does it (!!!) but is still waiting on folks to do their jobs so she can feed her kids. Good work from
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NEW: Ranches for troubled teens promised therapy & time with horses.
Two dozen sources say they were forced to perform manual labor and received bizarre punishments if they refused.
Today, published the results of my 6 month investigation ->🧵
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I hope I’m judged by the enemies I’ve made.
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I just read “dark corners of the web” in a news story in the year 2022.
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Crazy story: My 9yo trans child was so proud and confident that they ended up on the cover of National Geographic Magazine (see my cover pic). It was the "Gender Revolution"! But within days, we were doxxed on KiwiFarms.
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Josh Moon, the founder of Kiwi Farms, said in a post on Telegram today that "I do not see a situation where the Kiwi Farms is simply allowed to operate."
The site may be dead. Even Russian providers are bailing.
"This meme about Russia being a free country is a joke," he said.
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Strong story on the real consequences of this right-wing war against trans people and the doctors who treat them.
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Boston Children’s Hospital has been the target of far-right rhetoric over offering care for trans youth. This culminated with the hospital receiving a bomb threat this week.
tells “this pipeline goes straight from Tucker Carlson to bomb threats.”
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There’s a TikTok rumor that human traffickers yell “Marco” in crowded stores to lure children who respond “Polo!” somehow and it may be peak stupid in the genre. Like … how would it even work? Doesn’t matter if you’re just spreading awareness! 🌈
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Somebody email me quick
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Sad news. Barbara Ehrenreich, my one and only mother, died on September 1, a few days after her 81st birthday. She was, she made clear, ready to go. She was never much for thoughts and prayers, but you can honor her memory by loving one another, and by fighting like hell.
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I hope I’m judged by the enemies I’ve made.
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