Copied stories across conspiracy sites create false impressions of source diversity.

Evidence

There was another important element: the same stories, sometimes verbatim, appeared on different sites, over and over again. “We found the same stories on multiple domains, sometimes as exact copies, but also in different forms,” the team noted. “This means that an individual using these sites is likely seeing the same messages in different forms and in different places, which may distort their perception of this information as it gives the false appearance of source diversity.” — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 393

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Americans in 2016 each read roughly three fake news stories in the election build-up — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1611; Conspiracy believers deny citing the conspiracy sources they actually use — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 470; Conspiracy entrepreneurs track trending news to exploit cultural heat — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror…, 338 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy believers deny citing the conspiracy sources they actually use #expands (0.85) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 470
• Conspiracy entrepreneurs track trending news to exploit cultural heat #complicates (0.75) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 338