QAnon: A Look Inside The Online Conspiracy

Conspiracy theories have always woven their way through American history. But with the internet, and the emergence of QAnon, they’ve run wild.  

Guests

Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor of The Atlantic. (@AdrienneLaF)

Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami. Co-author of “American Conspiracy Theories” and editor of “Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them.” (@JoeUscinski)

Jane Lytvynenko, senior reporter covering disinformation for Buzzfeed News. (@JaneLytv)

From The Reading List

The Atlantic: “The Prophecies of Q” — “The origins of QAnon are recent, but even so, separating myth from reality can be hard. One place to begin is with Edgar Maddison Welch, a deeply religious father of two, who until Sunday, December 4, 2016, had lived an unremarkable life in the small town of Salisbury, North Carolina.”

Washington Post: “How the Trump campaign came to court QAnon, the online conspiracy movement identified by the FBI as a violent threat” — “Outside the Las Vegas Convention Center, Kayleigh McEnany raised a microphone to a mega-fan and asked what it felt like to be acknowledged by President Trump at his February rally in Sin City.”

The Atlantic: “The Coronavirus Conspiracy Boom” — “COVID-19 has created a perfect storm for conspiracy theorists.”

Washington Post: “Who supports QAnon? Here’s what our poll finds.” — “The QAnon conspiracy theory surged back into national news recently when Twitter announced that it had banned numerous QAnon-affiliated accounts for coordinated harassment.”

USA Today: “What is QAnon and where did it come from? What to know about the far-right conspiracy theory” — “A growing right-wing conspiracy theory has garnered national attention after Twitter announced it was removing and suspending accounts associated with it.”

Associated Press: “Misinformation on coronavirus is proving highly contagious” — “As the world races to find a vaccine and a treatment for COVID-19, there is seemingly no antidote in sight for the burgeoning outbreak of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths and sham cures.”

The Atlantic: “The Normalization of Conspiracy Culture” — “The catastrophe wasn’t what it seemed. It was an inside job, people whispered. Rome didn’t have to burn to the ground.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2020 NPR]