After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News | |
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Directed by | Andrew Rossi |
Music by | Ian Hultquist |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Andrew Rossi |
Cinematography | Bryan Sarkinen |
Editor | Cindy Lee |
Running time | 95 minutes |
Release | |
Original release |
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After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News is a 2020 documentary television film directed by Andrew Rossi and executive produced by Brian Stelter. The film premiered on HBO on March 19, 2020. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The film surveys the effects of disinformation campaigns occurring on social media and the impacts of well known conspiracy theories from Obama birther theories and Jade Helm, to Seth Rich, to Pizzagate, as well as some of the major and minor personalities involved. "Disinformation" is the intentional dissemination of falsehoods. [3] The documentary shows that although the elements of fake news are not new, modern fake news is enhanced and amplified by information technology. The roots of fake news are distrust and exploitation. "Inevitably, [the film] confronts the question of what we should do about fake news." [1] [2] It also shows the background of two conspiracy theorists to create and promote a conspiracy theory regarding Robert Mueller in order to smear him while serving as special counsel. [5]
The film's main theme [3] is framed by "dash-cam footage of Edgar Maddison Welch" as he drove with a high powered gun from North Carolina to Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington, D.C., with intent to stop what he delusively believed to be a "child sex slave ring". [1] The film shows the Pizzagate conspiracy growing on Reddit and 4chan, how it was fomented by the alt-right and Alex Jones, which then translated into a real-life dangerous situation [3] that occurred beyond the internet. [1]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.0/10.The website's consensus reads: "Expansive in scope and methodically researched, After Truth is a chilling thesis on how disinformation corrodes every corner of society." [6]
QAnon is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement. It originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". Those claims have been relayed, developed and supplemented by numerous communities and influencers associated with the movement.
InfoWars is an American far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website owned by Alex Jones. It was founded in 1999, and operates under Free Speech Systems LLC.
Andrew Rossi is an American filmmaker, known for directing and writing The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022).
Benjamin Swann is an American television news anchor, investigative journalist, and political commentator. He became a TV sports producer, and later a news journalist and producer, and managing editor on network affiliates, FOX, and RT America of the Russian state-owned TV network RT.
The Jade Helm 15 conspiracy theories were based on the Jade Helm 15 United States military training exercise which took place in multiple U.S. states between July 15 and September 15, 2015. The exercise, which involved 1,200 personnel from four of the five branches of the U.S. military, was designed to train soldiers in skills needed to operate in overseas combat environments, including maneuvering through civilian populations. The announcements of these training exercises raised concerns and generated conspiracy theories that the exercise was a hostile military takeover.
The murder of Seth Rich occurred on July 10, 2016, at 4:20 a.m. in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Rich died about an hour and a half after being shot twice in the back. The perpetrators were never apprehended; police suspected he had been the victim of an attempted robbery.
"Pizzagate" is a conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 United States presidential election cycle. It has been extensively discredited by a wide range of organizations, including the Washington, D.C. police.
False news websites in the United States target American audiences by using disinformation to create or inflame controversial topics such as the 2016 election. Most fake news websites target readers by impersonating or pretending to be real news organizations, which can lead to legitimate news organizations further spreading their message. Most notable in the media are the many websites that made completely false claims about political candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, as part of a larger campaign to gain viewers and ad revenue or spread disinformation. Additionally, satire websites have received criticism for not properly notifying readers that they are publishing false or satirical content, since many readers have been duped by seemingly legitimate articles.
Jack Michael Posobiec III is an American alt-right political activist, television correspondent and presenter, conspiracy theorist, former United States Navy intelligence officer, and provocateur.
NewsPunch is a Los Angeles-based fake news website. Originally named Your News Wire, it was founded in 2014 by Sean Adl-Tabatabai and his husband Sinclair Treadway. In November 2018, it rebranded itself as NewsPunch. Your News Wire was revived as a separate website in November 2020, and has continued publishing hoaxes similar to those in NewsPunch.
How To with John Wilson is an American television comedy docuseries created by filmmaker John Wilson. The series, executive produced by Nathan Fielder, Michael Koman and Clark Reinking, was ordered by HBO. It premiered on October 23, 2020.
Yonder, formerly named New Knowledge, is a company from Austin, Texas, that specializes in analyzing social media interactions to understand trends. It is most widely known for supporting the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The company was also reportedly involved in a disinformation campaign during the 2017 US Senate special election in Alabama, though the company denied any political motivation behind what it described as "an experiment". More recently, Yonder's CEO and researchers have provided commentary to the New York Times, Fast Company, and Axios about 5G and COVID-19 misinformation.
Elizabeth M. Crokin is an American columnist and conspiracy theorist.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Marilyn Agrelo. Inspired by the book Street Gang by Michael Davis, the film chronicles the history of the children's television program Sesame Street and the artists, writers, producers, and educators who created it.
Q: Into the Storm is an American documentary television miniseries directed and produced by Cullen Hoback. It explores the QAnon conspiracy theory and the people involved with it. It consisted of six episodes and premiered on HBO on March 21, 2021. The series received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its insight into the conspiracy theory, and others finding it to be overlong and lacking in analysis of the impacts of QAnon. Some reviewers have criticized the series for not following best practices outlined by extremism researchers for reporting on extremism and conspiracy theories.
NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ is an American documentary miniseries. The series follows the chronicle of life and survival in New York City, ranging from the September 11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. It consists of four episodes and premiered on August 22, 2021, on HBO.
The Pentaverate is a Canadian comedy streaming television miniseries created by Mike Myers for Netflix, inspired by conspiracy theories from his 1993 film So I Married an Axe Murderer. The series premiered on May 5, 2022, and consists of six episodes.
Navalny is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Daniel Roher. The film revolves around Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and events related to his poisoning. It was produced by HBO Max and CNN Films. The film premiered on January 25, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical and audience acclaim and won the Audience Award in the US Documentary competition and the Festival Favorite Award. It also won the Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards, won the award for Best Political Documentary at the 7th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards and picked up best documentary at the 76th BAFTA awards ceremony.
Phoenix Rising is an American documentary miniseries directed and produced by Amy J. Berg. It follows Evan Rachel Wood as she tells her story of alleged domestic violence and her campaign for justice. It aired on March 15–16, 2022, on HBO.