Build a conspiracy theory from scratch.
The best way to learn to spot a conspiracy theory is to make one yourself.
Pick a real news story. On the next step you'll choose who's behind it and why. Then walk through the four moves real conspiracists use, with a debunk on every step.
- Hunt anomalies — turn coincidence into evidence of a secret plot.
- Fabricate connections — draw lines between unrelated dots until they look meaningful.
- Dismiss counter-evidence — if a fact disagrees, make the fact part of the cover-up.
- Discredit the critics — dismiss people who point out flaws in your theory.
Pick the event.
Choose whichever real-feeling headline your imagination will run wildest with. Don't overthink it.
Brazil Amazon deforestation drops 60 percent
Brazil reported a major fall in Amazon deforestation in July: official figures say tree-clearing and burning dropped about 60 percent compared with the same month last year. The government and the environment minister attribute the decline to political changes and new administration policies, based on national monitoring systems. Scientists caution this reflects a single month and that short-term figures can be influenced by seasonal and reporting factors.
Boost Content Production in 2023
In 2023, businesses and creators faced a crowded online environment where standing out required more content without losing quality. A Forbes article outlines practical tactics to increase output: use AI tools for image creation, conduct batch keyword research, write concise pieces, repurpose existing material, and publish across multiple channels. The aim is to publish more consistently while keeping useful information and audience needs central to each piece.
Spanish town's streets turn tomato-red
Spain's annual Tomatina festival draws thousands each year to the town of Buñol, where participants playfully pelt one another with overripe tomatoes. This year about 15,000 people, many tourists, threw roughly 120 tonnes of fruit, turning streets and buildings into red pulp. The event lasts about an hour, and people commonly wear goggles and old clothes; there is a small participation fee of about €12 to help manage the crowd.
China Urges UK Return Artifacts
China’s state-run Global Times published an editorial urging the British Museum to return Chinese artifacts just ahead of a visit by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. The piece accused the museum of holding items acquired through improper channels and called some pieces “stolen.” The British Museum’s collection includes more than 23,000 Chinese objects, and the editorial named examples such as the painting The Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies and Liao tri-coloured luohan statues.