FACT Aotearoa News Briefs 26 October 2026
Rage and frustration; Jacinda; RFK; DARVO in the Manosphere; and Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the move away from critical thinking
How rage and frustration against authority figures tips over into conspiracy and violence – and what we can do about it - The Conversation
In a sense, the online world acts like an oven. It dries out the root conditions for democracy – civility, respect, a sense of belonging to something larger than yourself – and replaces it with conspiracy, rage and aggression. Many of the podcasters that are finding success operate on this model, fanning that polarisation to gain politically and financially.
https://theconversation.com/how-rage-and-frustration-against-authority-figures-tips-over-into-conspiracy-and-violence-and-what-we-can-do-about-it-294778
AI image of Labour leader with ex-New Zealand PM misleads voters ahead of poll - AFP Fact Check
Online posts are circulating showing a fabricated campaign poster claiming the New Zealand Labour party will appoint ex-prime minister Jacinda Ardern as governor-general if they were to win.
https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.D3WT9WE
Lessons From a Year of RFK Jr. Disinformation - MedPage Today
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy regularly lies and distorts the truth, relying on storytelling rather than data.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/123249
Sexual violence concepts launched online are spilling into the real world - The Conversation
Men of the manosphere use what researchers call the DARVO strategy: deny, attack and reverse victim and offender – to frame #MeToo and anti-sexual violence activism as a feminist conspiracy targeting men.
https://theconversation.com/sexual-violence-concepts-launched-online-are-spilling-into-the-real-world-harming-women-and-young-men-and-overwhelming-counselors-287049
Are Antisemitism and Islamophobia Problems of Digital Media or Our Move Away from Critical Thinking? - Digital Hate Review
What Islamophobia and Antisemitism share is not a common image of the enemy but a common function: both license surveillance, exclusion, suspicion of loyalty, and justification for violence, and both are rewarded by a social-media infrastructure that favors images that are instantly legible, emotionally activating, and detached from context.
https://digitalhatereview.com/articles/antisemitism-and-islamophobia-problems
