Earlier today, there was a shooter at the Trump Doral Resort. He entered the hotel’s lobby, draped an American flag over the counter and waited for police to enter the building. Once police arrived he engaged them in a gunfight that left no one but himself injured. The man was allegedly “yelling and spewing some information about President Trump,” Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said during the news conference. The Police Director also stated that, “the investigation is in it’s very early phases and motives at this point are unknown.”
Infowars jumped on this opportunity to spread a conspiracy that the gunman was a violent leftist animal. “Despite the admission that the man was making anti-Trump statements, CBS asserts that his motive still remains “unclear,”” Infowars contributor Paul Joseph Watson said. Watson continued, “The incident stirs up a reminder of when James T. Hodgkinson attempted to massacre conservatives in pursuit of his extremist political goals. Hodgkinson, a Bernie Sanders supporter, tried to kill a group of Republican lawmakers at a baseball practice. He was shot by police and died of his injuries.”
There is no evidence at this time that the Doral shooter shares anything in common with Hodgkinson. His political beliefs remain a complete mystery.
This conspiratorial blame tactic is nothing new for Infowars, experts explain. “They (Infowars) do this every time a shooting happens. If the shooter looks middle eastern they blame it on “radical islam.” If the shooter is liberal they claim, “extreme leftists.” It’s the same playbook every single time.”
The latest example of Infowars mischaracterizing a shooter was Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 students at Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this year. Infowars claimed Cruz was a Democrat and Islamic Radical. They wrote an article titled, “Reported Florida Shooter Discussed ‘Allahu Akbar’ on Instagram Profile.” They went on to explain, “interestingly, there’s also a 19-year-old Nicolas Cruz who’s listed as a Democratic voter in Oakland Park, Florida, which may be the suspect. Additionally, the shooter’s garb is very similar to the style worn by ISIS fighters in Syria.” All these claims were immediately debunked.
Those with knowledge of the financial incentives of Infowars detailed their spread of misinformation. “It doesn’t matter to them if the information is real or not. If they break the story first with sensationalist language they are rewarded with clicks and views. This turns into dollars for them. It’s all about profit ultimately. They obviously don’t care about the truth.”
Infowars spreading propaganda about mass shootings is an open, on going Bernard Media investigation. More information will be provided as it is made available.
