Web of Lies: When conspiracy theories spill over into the real world, results can be tragic

Nobody is immune to fake news — all of us are at risk of falling down the rabbit hole, warns the author of a new book that delves into conspiracy theories

Aoife Gallagher's book offers essential context for, and solid advice about, conspiracy theories in Ireland and abroad.

An extraordinary scene played out in a Connecticut courtroom in the final week of September as parents of some of the 20 children murdered at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012 testified about how conspiracy theorists have tormented them since that terrible day.

Robbie Parker, whose six-year-old Emilie was killed at the school, was one of the parents singled out by Alex Jones, one of the most influential conspiracy theorists in the world, who founded the far-right radio and fake news website, Infowars, more than 20 years ago. The day after Emilie and her classmates were killed, Jones used his platform to describe the event as “completely false”, claiming the shooting was “a hoax” organised by the US government to make it easier to pass stricter gun control measures. Jones went after grieving parents like Parker, repeatedly playing Parker’s press interviews and accusing him of being a “crisis actor.”