Helen Comperatore speaks out on painful renewed conspiracy theories
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 3
Helen Comperatore speaks out on painful renewed conspiracy theories
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 3
In a telephone interview, she said claims that the Butler, Pennsylvania, attack that killed her husband Corey Comperatore was staged are deeply hurtful.
She said the theories resurged after the assassination attempt at the White House correspondents’ dinner and rejected suggestions Donald Trump would fake being shot.
The interview highlights how grief over the failed Trump assassination attempt has been compounded by online misinformation, partisan distrust and her own unsupported belief that Joe Biden was somehow involved.
When a person's death fails to stop 'staged' theories, what can effectively break the cycle of misinformation?
Why might a victim of one baseless conspiracy theory come to embrace another without evidence?
Amid rising threats, how can security measures evolve to counter unpredictable lone attackers radicalized online?