Why the Bridge Collapse in Baltimore Happened is Not the First Cyber-Attack Of The Sandy Hook Elementary School Mass Shooting And Its Implications To Right-Wing Media
Following Tuesday’s bridge collapse in Baltimore, right-wing media figures started spreading baseless rumors of a murder conspiracy and social media influencers began spreading conspiracy theories.
Law enforcement officials said that while an investigation into the ship collision that caused the collapse is still underway, early indications show “absolutely no indication this was done on purpose.”
The large accounts on social media, including X, were quick to suggest otherwise. Andrew Tate, who is an internet star with 9 million followers on X, claimed without proof that the ship had been “cyber-attacked” in a post viewed over 13 million times. The post states that the incident is still being investigated and that his assertion was speculative.
Tate’s suggestion to his own 2.2 million followers that a cyber- attack could be related to Alex Jones’ claim that the Sandy Hook Elementary school mass shooting was a false flag, was amplified by Jones, who has been ordered to pay over a billion dollars to the victims’ families. WW3 has started.
Mike Rothschild, the author of a book about the conspiracy theories, said that there has become a norm for any random event to be run into a filter of different conspiracy theories based on the personal brand of the person spreading the theory.
Both Jones and Tate’s X accounts carry subscription checks, which means they are able to make money from advertising on the platform. Critics say that the system, introduced by Musk after he bought the platform, incentivises sharing inflammatory content even though it’s not true, as a way of getting attention and money.
According to information from Pyrra Technologies, posts that said the collision was the result of an attack were spread on Donald Trump’s Truth Social, and other right-wing online forums.
The disaster was linked to the war in Gaza, a vaccine related emergency, and corporate diversity policies, as well as other online accounts carrying subscription checks.
Conservative commentators used the disaster to complain about the Biden administration. Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo said the collapse may have been caused by problems at the border, while Newsmax chair Matt Schlapp said it may have been caused by employees addicted to drugs.
People who see the accident as staged think that it’s an example of diversity hiring, while people who believe that the biggest threat to society is DEI think the accident happened because of diversity hiring. If you think open borders are the cause of all of life’s problems, then it’s an open borders issue. If you think the COVID-19 vaccination is a death shot, then the captain must have been vaccinated,” Rothschild said.
“The most important aspect of the bridge accident for these people isn’t how many lives were lost or the effect it will have on Baltimore or its economy, but who they can blame for it and how they can cash in off that blame.”
The cargo ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, killing at least six people. The Dali is owned by Singapore-based company Grace Ocean Private and was chartered by Danish company Maersk. The U.S. Coast Guard ended its active search and rescue last night and transitioned to a recovery mission. Here’s what we know — and don’t — about the bridge collapse.
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NBC has dropped its newest contributor, former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, following public backlash and concern from the network’s top talent. McDaniel, a Trump ally, was hired two weeks after stepping down from her RNC role.
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