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Hello! Tiffany here. Welcome to today’s edition of Internet Insider.
It’s Monday, which means we have Mikael’s “One Dumb Conspiracy” column—and this one centers around singer Justin Bieber. We also have a story about an organization that wants to warn people about pregnancy clinics, and another about a viral nurse TikTok. Scroll down for more of our top stories.
— T.K.
ONE-STAR: The organization Gen-Z for Change is warning people about “pregnancy centers” that don’t actually provide abortion services. It created a tool that posts one-star reviews on Yelp.
POLICE: A TikToker shared footage from her Ring doorbell that shows several police officers in military gear coming to her door, allegedly looking for someone who hasn’t lived in the property for six years. A lawyer told her that the police were apparently within their rights.
NURSETOK: A nurse became a big meme last week after she made a TikTok showing her looking distressed after one of her patients died. The woman has since deleted her TikTok account, but not before the video made it to other social platforms.
GEORGIA: The Georgia Guidestones monument was damaged last week in a bombing, before being demolished for “safety.” The large granite slabs attracted conspiracy theories, and images of Trump bombing the Guidestones spread on Truth Social before the incident.
No, Justin Bieber did not say the COVID-19 vaccine ruined his life
Conspiracy theorists are convinced that Justin Bieber has blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for his recent face paralysis. But the pop star, who revealed he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) last month, never made such a claim.
The rumor arose in late June after a blog post began circulating online that claimed Bieber had asserted that the vaccine had ”ruined his life.”
The blog, known as the Vancouver Times, cites the Daily Mail as proof that Bieber had privately linked the vaccine to his RHS.
“Justin Bieber now admits that he regrets taking the Covid-19 vaccine, saying that it left him with permanent paralysis in his face,” the blog alleges. “Bieber made the confession to a close friend, who later leaked the information to the Daily Mail.”
Bieber, the blog post further claims, was even reportedly planning to file a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer despite the company being “shielded from liability.”
The blog even goes on to suggest that Bieber could be assassinated for blowing “the lid off the whole fake-pandemic-conspiracy.”
Despite the grandiose nature of the article, conspiracy theorists were quick to spread the claims as gospel across social media.
“The truth will always come out!” one Twitter user excitedly wrote.
Others thanked the singer for standing up to the pharmaceutical industry.
“Sue on Biebs!” another said. “Many wish they could but don’t have the financial means you do!!”
But the blog post isn’t factual. A simple glance at the “About Us” page on the Vancouver Times reveals that the site is admittedly satire.
“Vancouver Times is the most trusted source for satire on the West Coast,” the page states. “We write satirical stories about issues that affect conservatives.”
After the blog post began receiving widespread attention from conspiracy theorists as well as fact-checkers, the blog even went as far as to place a satire label near the headline.
“To ease confusion, we have clearly labelled [sic] this article as satire,” an update to the article says. “If there’s any confusion, please go to our About Us page.”
The blog’s popularity is unsurprising given that many internet users were quick to blame Bieber’s health issues on the vaccine despite no such evidence.
Countless other celebrities have also become a target for conspiracy theorists eager to blame any and all health problems on the vaccines as well. Everyone from the artist Meatloaf to the iconic Betty White have been wrapped up in such false claims.
Bieber is no stranger to being the center of conspiracy theories. The pop star has been tied to Pizzagate numerous times by overeager internet users.
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👀 TODAY ONLINE
Here are some key dispatches from across the ‘net.
💵 A TikToker says an Airbnb host wouldn’t let him in without paying an additional $5,000.
🚗 A viral TikTok shows a Karen being mocked by a crowd of people for reserving a parking space in a crowded parking lot.
🍕 A TikToker says she witnessed a young Domino’s Pizza worker running a store alone.
✈️ A woman reportedly flew to Philadelphia on Frontier Airlines to save money, but she landed in a completely different state.
⛩️ We scoured the internet for the best streaming platforms for every anime addict.*
⚖️ The next celebrity case should not be treated the same as the Depp-Heard trial. But it already is.
🪧 From the archives: How an Oath Keeper brought QAnon to the masses.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 BEFORE YOU GO
A TikToker who says they’re burned out from working is wondering how their parents worked 9-5 jobs for so many years.
Now Playing: 🎶 “Mag Dump” by Orphan 🎶
