University of Washington researchers say social media rumors and misinformation following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump came from the left, right, and center.
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“We have to be savvier about how we approach those spaces as consumers and participants, because it's not just this natural sense-making process that's happening. It's also been being manipulated and shaped by attention dynamics in ways that lead to it being very poor-quality information, especially in the early moments after a crisis event," said Kate Starbird, who heads the Center for an Informed Public.
Starbird said researchers identified no major disinformation campaign by outside actors. Instead, it's rumors that circulated spontaneously by people trying to get attention for themselves or their causes.
Researchers said rumors focused on elements like the shooter’s identity, Secret Service preparedness, and whether the attack was staged. According to a blog post by researchers:
"Diverging along ideological lines, pro-Trump rhetoric attempted to assign blame for the shooting, anchoring on an assumption that the perpetrator was a Democrat motivated by political rhetoric acutely critical of Trump. Meanwhile, among anti-Trump commentators, a sense of skepticism spread, with many theorizing that the event may have been 'staged' by the Trump campaign for political gain."
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It was also noted that the speed in which people offer merchandising after an event has greatly increased, primarily with the help of AI. Merchandise, such as T-shirts, based on the assassination attempt went online within hours of the news.
The UW center is conducting rapid research on election-year rumors after disinformation efforts — domestic and from overseas, including Russia — roiled presidential elections in 2020 and 2016.
Read more here about misinformation that spread shortly after the assassination attempt.
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