True Pundit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Type of business | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
Type of site | Fake news website[1] |
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Key people | Michael D. Moore |
| URL | truepundit |
| Advertising | Yes |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Current status | Inactive |
True Pundit is a far-right[9] fake news website[1] known for publishing conspiracy theories.[20] According to The Atlantic, True Pundit had "a well-known modus operandi, perfected during the 2016 U.S. election: running baseless stories and then asking leading questions".[21]
True Pundit was "fluent in the paranoid language of 2016 social media" and often credited false stories about the FBI and Hillary Clinton to anonymous sources and claimed the mainstream media was covering it up. The website helped spread the Pizzagate conspiracy theory and the Plandemic conspiracy theory. It was often promoted by partisan and conspiracy websites and prominent pro-Trump figures, including Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr.[2][16][17][22][23]
True Pundit earned revenue by selling merchandise and advertising with Revcontent, a service that monetized fake news sites, and briefly worked with the ad firm Intermarkets.[2][24] In 2018, True Pundit was accused of stealing content for articles and their YouTube channel was terminated for "spam, deceptive practices and misleading content or other Terms of Service violations".[2]
In October 2016, True Pundit was the source of the false claim that Hillary Clinton asked, "Can’t we just drone this guy?" about Julian Assange. The conspiracy theory was amplified by WikiLeaks, InfoWars, RT, Heat Street and Fox News. WikiLeaks sent a private message to Donald Trump Jr. asking him to "comment on/push" the story. Trump Jr. replied that he "already did that".[2][22][25][26]
In November 2016, True Pundit contributed to the creation, spread and revival of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. The article was the website's most popular story on Facebook. The website also published false stories about Hillary Clinton wearing an earpiece at a debate, using hand signals with debate moderators, and being drunk before a campaign rally.[2][17][27]
In 2016 and 2017, True Pundit promoted conspiracy theories that mass shootings in Las Vegas and at the Orlando Pulse nightclub involved FBI cover-ups and a conspiracy theory related to Trump Tower wiretapping allegations.[2]
In February 2018, True Pundit promoted conspiracy theories about the Parkland high school shooting.[28][29][30] In August 2018, True Pundit was the first to imply a link between a Pizzagate conspiracy theorist's death and the Clinton family.[16]
In 2020, True Pundit played a key role in boosting the Plandemic conspiracy theory.[23]
History
The website for True Pundit was registered in March 2016 and launched that June. True Pundit was created by Michael D. Moore using the pseudonym Thomas Paine and managed by True Pundit Media LLC.[2][17]
In 2017, Moore said True Pundit was "flattered to be accused of participating in disinformation campaigns" for Russia and implied that mainstream media do the same for other governments.[31]
