According to a poll conducted by the Pearson Institute in September 2022, 91 percent of Americans believe that the spread of misinformation is a problem. Additionally, the poll showed that seven out of ten Americans believe misinformation increases extreme political views, contributing to escalating racial violence, gender violence, hate crimes, and terrorist attacks.
While “fake news” seems like a new phenomenon, it may not be very new at all. Many of the prevailing conspiracy theories target minority communities, such as Asian Americans.They became the targets of a growing number of racist attacks amid conspiracy theories that alleged China intentionally manufactured and released COVID-19 as a bioweapon. Jews have long been the world heavyweight champions of targets for conspiracy theories.“Fake news” such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion has been used as justification for the blood libel myth for centuries.