Over the past few years, 11 individuals allegedly linked to top-secret US research have died or vanished, fueling a conspiracy theory of a clandestine operation silencing insiders. What began as isolated incidents has become a mainstream obsession, prompting a federal investigation and tracing its origins to a 1977 British TV episode.
Fund manager Geoff Wilson deleted an AI-generated video he reposted from a right-wing account, which depicted PM Albanese and Treasurer Chalmers taking money from white Australians for migrants. Wilson claimed he hadn't watched the full video or checked sources before sharing it, which also included QAnon content.
A conspiracy theory about scientists dying or disappearing is traced back to a 1977 British mock-documentary called 'Alternative 3', created by David Ambrose. Despite being a fictional drama, it was taken seriously by many and has since fueled various conspiracy narratives.
UFC fighter Josh Hokit used a White House appearance to call Michelle Obama a man, drawing widespread condemnation. Donald Trump appeared to smirk, sparking calls for him to denounce the sexist and racist conspiracy theory.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian presidential special representative, criticized the US and legacy media for denying reports about US biological laboratories abroad, citing recent remarks by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Dmitriev urged Wikipedia to revise its article on biological laboratories in Ukraine, which he described as a conspiracy theory.
The Henry Nowak stabbing case, involving a white victim and Asian assailant, has been distorted to claim 'two-tier policing' where white people are allegedly discriminated against by UK police, despite the case's complexities and police mistakes.
A note from Jeffrey Epstein, released after a legal battle, has fueled conspiracy theories about his death. The note, found by his cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, a convicted quadruple murderer, has been interpreted by some as evidence of foul play, while Tartaglione's lawyer insists Epstein died by suicide.
In the wake of this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner being cut short by gunfire, conspiracy theory videos claiming the shooting was a false flag have flooded YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X. The 31-year-old suspect Cole Allen traveled from Los Angeles and stayed at the same Hilton as the event. Content creators—some filming in cars, others on porches—have latched onto White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's phrase 'some shots fired' as supposed proof of staging, while suggesting the incident was designed to distract from US actions regarding Iran ahead of midterm elections. The phenomenon reflects broader trends of declining trust in traditional media and the normalization of reaction content as a news source.
