The article relies on an interview w. the scholar who traced the development of the rumor and several others, as well as tracking down and interviewing those who helped the rumor circulate. Thanks, Michael, for submitting this and for the additional links. Actually, Martin is a lot less benign than the Post allows him to depict himself, as witness the newsmax article he wrote, which I've linked to below as well a Daily Kos post, since the Chicago Tribune article on Martin which it ... More »

After reading it, you may have a better understanding of where your mis-informed relatives are getting the disinforming emails they forward to you.

Fascinating story about the implication of using e-mail virally to spread lies and impugn character.

I appreciated this article because I have been the repeated recipient of several anti-Obama e-mails. On the face of it, these seemed to be poorly sourced polemics, and Snopes.com verified that they were total fabrications. However, when I e-mailed those who sent them (well-educated, normally well-informed relatives), informing them that the e-mails were false and requesting that they correct the record, I ran into quite a lot of resistance--one even claiming that "those Snopes people ... More »

The article recounts Danielle Allen's investigation of the source of the organized lies about Obama that have circulated via email. The trail led to the Free Republic, a site for "conservatives" and libertarians. The detective story is interesting, and the information helps put the lies in context.

This is a great piece examining how a rumour spreads through the internet. Rather than point fingers, it shows how a false story, like topsy, "just growed" on the internet. I thought this was fair and well-balanced enough that even the right wing sources he interviewed would agree that Mr. Mosk has an even-handed approach. I was especially interested in his information on the "freepers". a group I have run across before that had me puzzled as to it's origin and purpose. This article ... More »

This article has made an interesting diagrammatic example of the genesis of how untrue political rumors are formed and maintained using collaborative spaces on the internet and the use of email to advance fear based misinformation to sway American voters.