BANNED BY TWITTER AND OTHER social media outlets, QAnon adherents have flocked to Truth Social, former President Donald Trump's social media platform, which bills itself as a free-speech haven. A NewsGuard review found that Trump and top executives working for the platform actively promote these QAnon accounts.
QAnon supporters contend, falsely, that Democrats and the "deep state" operate a network of child sex traffickers Trump and an anonymous government operative known as "Q" are engaged in a struggle to take down. QAnon has been linked to numerous violent incidents, including the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol; an armed standoff at the Hoover Dam in 2018; and the 2021 killing of two infant children by their father, who allegedly told prosecutors that he had been "enlightened by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories."
Using their Truth Social accounts with large followings, Trump and other Truth Social leaders and funders regularly boost QAnon accounts and messages on the fledgling platform, NewsGuard found. This includes the CEO of Truth Social, Devin Nunes, a former Republican member of Congress, as well as Patrick Orlando, chief executive of Digital World Acquisition Corporation, the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that funds Truth Social. (SPACs are shell corporations that raise capital by listing on a stock exchange.)
NewsGuard found that Truth Social has verified 47 QAnon-promoting accounts, all with more than 10,000 followers. According to Truth Social Support, the platform awards a red verification badge to users who are "highly searched for public figure[s]," just as Twitter does with its blue check, with the verifications signaling a level of author authenticity.
This story is from the September 30, 2022 edition of Newsweek Europe.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 30, 2022 edition of Newsweek Europe.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
All the Right Moves
PR experts tell Newsweek the winning strategies that keep Dancing With the Stars as popular as ever after 19 years
Front Line of History
A fascinating series of snapshots showing a medic's experience of the Korean War have been uncovered by his grandson
CLEAR AND PRESIDENTIAL DANGER
IN A CAMPAIGN THAT'S BEEN FULL OF SHOCKS, COULD AN OCTOBER SURPRISE PROVIDE A FINAL TWIST IN THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE?
'We're Not Beasts, We're Just People'
Trans MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin on coping with societal and family of being the 'bigger person' expectations
Is This France's #MeToo Moment?
The trial of Dominique Pélicot, who has admitted drugging his wife and allowing her alleged rape, has highlighted a culture of sexual violence in the country
Washington is 'Playing With Fire'
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warns the U.S. to accept his country's proposal to end the war in Ukraine or face \"dangerous consequences\"
Zachary Quinto
ZACHARY QUINTO HAS PLAYED DOCTORS BEFORE, BUT HE'S \"NEVER PLAYED a doctor like\" the one he plays on NBC's Brilliant Minds (September 23).
Adam Brody
NETFLIX KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT MILLENNIALS want, and it's to see Adam Brody and Kristen Bell fall in love.
Partners in Crime
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt shares his delight at teaming up with Shailene Woodley again in new Amazon Prime movie Killer Heat
HOW TO FIND A WORKPLACE THAT LOVES YOU BACK
Insights from America's Top Most Loved Workplaces