Headline from Canadian outlet says 'conspiracy theorists keep getting things right'
Claimed by Social media users · 2022-04-22
What fact-checkers found (1)
- USA TodayAltered
2022-05-09
Read the full review →
FAXTR aggregates verdicts from independent fact-checking organizations so you can compare the evidence and judge for yourself. We are an evidence collector, not a verdict authority.
Related fact checks
- A CTV article says conspiracy theorists keep getting things rightAltered
- CTV News published an article stating that experts are worried that “conspiracy theorists keep getti…False
- The Atlantic ran a headline about conspiracy theorists who claim ‘Bush Did 9/11’Altered
- “The CDC officially agrees with ‘conspiracy theorists’ from 2020” who wanted to treat COVID-19 like …False
- A post on X featuring a video allegedly showing recent lootings in South Africa, and captured: "This…DW Fact check: Misleading The video posted on X does not show a recent situation in Durban, a city in the east of South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province. While the footage does show a shopping street in central Durban, as the geolocation of the scene indicates, it was not recorded recently. A reverse image search by DW Fact check revealed that the video had already circulated on X and Facebook in 2021. Comparisons with official agency photos from that time confirm that the footage dates back to July 2021. The video captures a moment during a period of unrest in South Africa, when parts of the country were engulfed in riots and widespread looting — sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma. He had been sentenced to 15 months in prison for failing to comply with a Constitutional Court order to testify before a commission investigating corruption during his presidency. His arrest triggered protests, particularly in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, which includes Durban — the city featured in the video. Zuma's supporters viewed his arrest as unjust and rallied to demand his release, criticizing the judiciary. However, Zuma's imprisonment was only one of several triggers for the unrest. Underlying causes included economic hardship, high youth unemployment, political disillusionment with the African National Congress (ANC), and opportunistic criminal activity. The riots ultimately left more than 300 people dead. Since 2021, the video has resurfaced repeatedly across various social media platforms and in multiple languages. A similar claim using the same footage went viral again in March of this year. Dhanaraj Thakur, a researcher at the Center for Democracy and Technology, sees this as part of a broader strategy, "a larger campaign with many different actors sharing similar kinds of messages," he told DW. "Some of these actors have an intent to create misunderstanding and promote this kind of racist narrative."
- In March 2025, France offered U.S. right-wing conspiracy theorist Candace Owens millions to stop spr…False