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.

China's decline, America's reputation rises
yougov.co.uk

China's decline, America's reputation rises

The YouGov–Cambridge Globalism Project survey finds growing public willingness to support Taiwan if China used force. That backing is strongest in anglophone countries and visible in some other regions too. Respondents make distinctions between hard military assistance, like weapons and troops, and softer forms of support such as sanctions or humanitarian aid, so public readiness varies depending on the type of help and the perceived risks of intervention.

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Accessory has no sleep benefits
independent.co.uk

Accessory has no sleep benefits

Researchers reviewing clinical trials have found little evidence that blue‑light filtering glasses provide the sleep or short‑term eye‑comfort benefits often claimed by makers and some retailers. The review pooled data from 17 randomized trials and reported no consistent short‑term reduction in visual fatigue from computer use, and it could not show clear benefits for sleep quality, vision performance, or long‑term retinal health.

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Pandemic Hits Women and Youth's Mental Health
theguardian.com

Pandemic Hits Women and Youth's Mental Health

A YouGov survey carried out in 27 countries finds the Covid-19 pandemic has had the most severe mental-health effects on young people and on women. Younger respondents consistently reported higher levels of anxiety about their mental health and increased worries about their financial futures, while women were more likely than men to say the pandemic had harmed their wellbeing. The findings summarize self-reported experiences rather than identifying precise causes.

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Airline to weigh passengers pre-flight.
independent.co.uk

Airline to weigh passengers pre-flight.

South Korea's flag carrier Korean Air will begin weighing passengers and their carry-on luggage at Gimpo and Incheon airports. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation has required the checks to collect actual passenger weights for aircraft weight-and-balance calculations. Airline officials say measuring passengers helps crews calculate load distribution, takeoff performance, and fuel needs more accurately than relying on assumed average weights. Officials emphasize it is about technical calculations, not personal data collection.

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Conspiracy Generator — the recipe, written out