Birds Aren’t Real, a conspiracy theory with an apparently absurd premise, has become surprisingly popular in the past few years.
But its followers were in on the joke: The movement’s aim was to poke fun at misinformation … by creating misinformation.
Has it been successful?
Guest: Taylor Lorenz, a former technology reporter for The New York Times.
Today
Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students
The number of students in America’s public schools is shrinking. In some cases, the declines have been so drastic that districts are facing empty classrooms, painful budget cuts and angry debates about whether to close schools.Sarah Mervosh, an education reporter at The New York ... Show More
48m 14s
Yesterday
Secrets, Chips and Spycraft: The Nvidia C.E.O. Scandal
Over the weekend, Jensen Huang, the chief executive and co-founder of Nvidia — which makes the chips that power artificial intelligence — admitted to having an affair with a woman who has been determined by U.S. officials to be a spy. That revelation came after The New York Times ... Show More
31m 44s
Nov 9
After a Crushing Defeat, Trump Doubles Down
After a stinging rebuke last week at the polls, President Trump announced that he would elevate Stephen Miller — a driving force behind some of the most polarizing policies of Mr. Trump’s second term — to chief of staff.Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, White House reporters for ... Show More
31m 14s
Dec 2023
Once A Satirical Conspiracy, Bird Drones Could Soon Be A Reality
Millions of people in the U.S. are bird watchers. But a couple of years ago a satirical conspiracy theory gained popularity because of an absurd claim: That those birds were also watching people. Now, rather than being the stuff of internet memes, some engineers are, in fact, try ... Show More
14m 25s
Apr 2023
Ghouling: The trolls targeting bereaved people
Since the Covid vaccines were rolled out, a trend has sprung up – of accounts online linking virtually any death or illness, of a celebrity, athlete or ordinary person, to the shots without any evidence. A conspiracy theory film called Died Suddenly released last year appears to ... Show More
19m 54s
Jul 2023
Do we have something to learn from conspiracy theories? (w/ Peter McIndoe)
There was a time when Peter McIndoe might see you on the street and ask: have you ever seen a baby pigeon? If you said no, he’d probably grin and say, of course you haven’t, because birds are actually spy drones created by the US government – and they emerge “fully adult” from “t ... Show More
33m 30s