Conspiracy Generator

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.

▸ Start the exercisetakes 3 minutes!!
Built by Marco Meyer & Maarten Boudry  · Etienne Vermeersch Chair of Critical Thinking, Ghent University
Tonight's exclusive
YOU can be a conspiracist*
*for educational purposes only
The four moves you'll learn:
  1. Hunt anomalies — turn coincidence into evidence of a secret plot.
  2. Fabricate connections — draw lines between unrelated dots until they look meaningful.
  3. Dismiss counter-evidence — if a fact disagrees, make the fact part of the cover-up.
  4. Discredit the critics — dismiss people who point out flaws in your theory.
Step 1 of 3Step 1 — Pick a real news story↻ ↻ Refresh

Pick the event.

Choose whichever real-feeling headline your imagination will run wildest with. Don't overthink it.

Promote longevity through lifestyle choices
telegraph.co.uk

Promote longevity through lifestyle choices

Scientists and doctors point out that many health problems run in families, and the diseases now affecting older baby boomers can offer a warning about what people might face later in life. Advances in DNA sequencing make it possible to find gene variants that raise the chances of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Identifying those risks early gives doctors and patients options for monitoring, preventive treatment and tailored medical care.

Choose this story → →
Tools Reveal Hidden Website History
foxnews.com

Tools Reveal Hidden Website History

Online tools now let anyone view past versions of websites, exposing changes that site owners may have made over time. The Wayback Machine at archive.org stores snapshots of millions of pages, while archive.today preserves copies that sometimes survive when other archives don’t. The Memento Project links these services and helps users search by URL and date, making it easier to see how pages, policies, and content evolved.

Choose this story → →
US campus unearths 142-year-old observatory
theguardian.com

US campus unearths 142-year-old observatory

Workers installing hammock poles on Michigan State University's campus in August 2023 unexpectedly unearthed the buried stone foundation of an old observatory. Built in 1881 and demolished in the 1920s, the small structure had been covered over for decades. Archaeologists and university staff identified the masonry as part of that 19th-century building, making it a notable historical find on a modern college lawn.

Choose this story → →
Diller transformed architecture with innovation
rollingstone.com

Diller transformed architecture with innovation

Elizabeth Diller is a leading architect and founding partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, a firm known for projects that blur art, performance, and architecture. Trained at Cooper Union, she moved from visual art into architecture and co-authored the influential book Flesh, which challenged traditional ideas about buildings and spatial experience. Her work—including the High Line, the Blur Building, and The Shed—emphasizes experimentation, collaboration, and attention to how people use public space.

Choose this story → →
Conspiracy Generator — the recipe, written out