Pelosi attacker shared conspiracies amid ‘omnipresent’ disinformation

With the midterms approaching, an expert has warned voters that disinformation is rife and urged social media users to factcheck their information. The issue was highlighted when news emerged that Paul Pelosi’s alleged attacker reportedly shared debunked conspiracy theories on social media.The alleged attacker, David DePape, 42, allegedly posted memes and conspiracy theories on Facebook about Covid vaccines, the 2020 election and the January 6 riot at the US capitol building.The role that political rhetoric and disinformation played in the attack on Paul Pelosi dominated the US news cycle Sunday.Top Democrats have blamed Republican rhetoric as inciting the attack, while senior Republicans have rejected the claims. Major figures on both sides of the aisle condemned the violence.”In past elections, misinformation and disinformation were aberrations. In the past few years, they have become endemic and are omnipresent. There are important differences in kind and degree,” said Professor Johannes M. Bauer, a researcher in the field from Michigan State University told Express.co.uk. Pelosi’s attacker, David DePape, shared multiple conspiracy theories online. (Image: AP) Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer in his San Francisco home. (Image: GETTY)He added that while misinformation was sharing “erroneous” information without intending to mislead, disinformation was intended to “mislead, deceive, manipulate, or to generate a revenue stream” – many conspiracy theories are likely to fall into this category.The far-right Stop the Steal movement, which alleges that there was widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election, is one such conspiracy theory.However, Democrats did not just highlight disinformation as a potential factor in the attack. They also pointed to what they call increasingly hostile rhetoric from their Republican counterparts.For example, National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) posted a video last week of himself firing a gun with the hashtag #FirePelosi.READ MORE: Man arrested for 2017 killing of two teen girls Some US politicians have amplified conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election. (Image: GETTY) Nancy and Paul Pelosi at 10 Downing Street. (Image: GETTY)Republicans have hit back at the claims that their messaging could stoke tensions and increase the potential for violence.When asked about the post on Fox News Sunday, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said it was “unfair” to claim such rhetoric would incite violence and instead tried to connect the attack with rising crime.She said: “You can’t say people saying ‘fire Pelosi’ or ‘take back the House’ is saying ‘go do violence.’ It’s just unfair.”If this weren’t Paul Pelosi, this criminal would probably be out on the street tomorrow…This is what Democrat policies are bringing.”The “highly complex” nature of political issues which defy a simple explanation, according to Professor Bauer.DON’T MISS:Man tows neighbour’s car after they refuse to move it from dad’s drive [REPORT]Should King Charles strip Meghan and Harry of royal titles? POLL [POLL]Braverman sent official documents to personal email SIX times [INSIGHT] Stop the Steal protesters broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. (Image: GETTY)He added: “Populism, using simplistic explanations and claims, often associated with blaming elites, is a counterreaction. The associated simplistic messages lend themselves well for dissemination via social media.”He noted that much of the disinformation tended to be generated on the more “radical ends of the political spectrum.” It is these ends which are most often associated populism.For now, individuals needed to use “a good deal of common sense and scepticism” to root out disinformation. He advised people to use factcheckers such as FactCheck.org or Politifact.Dr Bauer, however, did not support social media companies “filtering messages” arguing that “this is a very slippery slope to uncontrolled forms of censorship by private corporations”.