Stop sharing the unsubstantiated Lauren Boebert rumors

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     June 15, 2022 As I've previously addressed in this newsletter, my job before joining Mother Jones was at the fact-checking organization PolitiFact. One of the tragic elements of covering misinformation is that you can turn into a version of the "but actually" guy: "But actually, it didn't happen that way," you interject as your friends swap stories around the barbecue. "But actually, the David Foster Wallace biopic, The End of the Tour, got 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, not 90 percent." "But actually…But actually…But actually." Since leaving the misinformation beat, I've basically weaned myself out of that unfortunate habit. But it still flares up every now and then, especially when I'm on Twitter, one of the few arenas where being an obnoxious skeptic can turn out to be an asset. This brings me to last night, when a bunch of liberal influencers and politicians—from [Nina Turner]( to [Charlotte Clymer](—began to repeat a series of unverified, salacious rumors about Lauren Boebert. Boebert has denied the rumors. And tracing them to their source, as some of the best misinformation reporters have [already done](, ends up emphasizing just how shaky they really are. The claims originated with the American Muckrakers PAC, the group that released an [explicit video]( of Madison Cawthorn, which the congressman essentially confirmed to be real. The PAC's claims about Boebert, however, are extremely unsubstantiated. As evidence, the group cites a series of text messages from a single anonymous source, who mixes the iffy allegations with at least one demonstrably false claim. As Will Sommer of the Daily Beast reported, the source shared a photo with the PAC, asserting that it was Boebert. But the photo actually depicts [Melissa Carone](, one of the many (dubious) voter fraud witnesses that Rudy Giuliani trotted out during his campaign to overturn the election. Many conspiracy theories on the right originate in similar ways. First, an [anonymous source]( of dubious legitimacy makes an allegation that confirms people's biases. Then influencers eager to own their political opponents credulously broadcast it to a wider public. That [many]( [journalists]( and [politicians]( repeated these rumors—often with libel-evading qualifications along the lines of "If these allegations happen to be true"—is another sign of just how far misinformation has penetrated our politics. Liberals often like to consider conspiracy theories an exclusively right-wing problem. But actually, the reality is that nobody is immune to wild allegations that confirm their preexisting biases. All we can do is try our best to filter out the noise and acknowledge our fallibility when further investigation confirms our beliefs to be less well-founded than we thought. —Noah Y. Kim Advertisement [Mud\WTR]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [McConnell Announces Tentative Support for Bipartisan Gun Safety Plan]( "If the legislation ends up reflecting what the framework indicates, I'll be supportive." BY NOAH Y. KIM SPONSORED CONTENT BY GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION   Explore the ongoing dialogue between psychedelic studies and religious studies The scientific realization that the use of psychedelic substances can be linked to significant spiritual experiences has led to a renaissance of psychedelic research within brain science. Learn about the latest research in the field by registering for “Psychedelics & Religion - Part 1” for free at [gtu.edu/x](. [Trending] [The 1/6 committee’s biggest challenge: assessing whether Trump is bonkers]( BY DAVID CORN   [Hundreds of little blue penguins washing up dead in New Zealand]( BY TESS MCCLURE   [Don't be distracted by "inebriated" Rudy Giuliani]( BY DAN FRIEDMAN   [Herschel Walker has many flaws, but he is not a cop]( BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG Advertisement [Mud\WTR]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [First Roe, then Plyler? The GOP’s 40-year fight to keep undocumented kids out of public school.]( "The schoolhouse door cannot be closed to one of modern society’s most marginalized, most vilified groups." BY ISABELA DIAS [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755