FACT Aotearoa News Briefs 31 August 2026
Dolly Parton's death caused by vaccines? AI generated religious hucksters are as effective as humans; QAnon's smoothie; The Premier League's failings: incompetence, or cabal? And antisemitism unites the far right and far left.
There Are So Many Conspiracy Theories About Dolly Parton and Vaccines - Wired
Following Dolly Parton's death from cancer at eighty, conspiracy theorists falsely linked it to her Covid-19 vaccine advocacy, claiming "turbo cancer." Prominent right-wing figures and influencers promoted unsubstantiated claims on social media platforms. Parton had funded vaccine research and publicly received the vaccine, making her a target for anti-vaccine conspiracists spreading baseless theories. Rest in peace, Dolly!
https://www.wired.com/story/there-are-so-many-conspiracy-theories-about-dolly-parton-and-vaccines/
They look like religious teachers. But they’re AI - and millions are listening - Religion News Service
Rabbi Goldman, an AI-generated Orthodox rabbi who dabbled in conspiracy theories, amassed more than 1.5 million Instagram followers before his account was removed. Father Justin, created as an AI Catholic priest, answered questions about faith, while Vedguru and Shaykh AI offer religious guidance to Hindus and Muslims, respectively. They are replacing religion with missions that include selling products, promoting conspiracies and sharing spiritual lessons without a real spiritual leader behind them.
https://religionnews.com/2026/08/28/the-religious-influencers-who-arent-real/
The long afterlife of QAnon conspiracy theories haunting American politics - The Conversation
QAnon is an example of what author Naomi Klein has called a “conspiracy smoothie,” mixing existing theories into a vast conspiracy map, which absorbs existing conspiracy theories about events such as 9/11 or the JFK assassination into itself. The result is a sprawling theory combining paranoid interpretations of current events with historical conspiracies.
https://theconversation.com/the-long-afterlife-of-qanon-conspiracy-theories-haunting-american-politics-289784
The Balogun affair and Premier League’s battle with conspiracy theorists - The Guardian
While refereeing a match in which all 22 participants are expert gaslighters will inevitably lead to mistakes, we’ve always presumed these gaffes can be attributed to good old-fashioned incompetence and not some shadowy cabal who have devoted their life’s work to keeping [insert your team’s name here] firmly in their place.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/20/the-balogun-affair-premier-league-referees-newsletter
Online antisemitism and digital regulation: ISD’s submission to the Australian Royal Commission - Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Antisemitism exists at the nexus of diverse extremist movements that target Jews based on a supremacist worldview. However, antisemitism is also present across the political mainstream through conspiracy theories, targeted hate towards Jewish people and social exclusion. ISD’s report documents the long tail of antisemitism and its impacts on Jewish people and wider society, from violent extremism to latent antisemitism online.
https://www.isdglobal.org/digital-dispatch/online-antisemitism-and-digital-regulation-isds-submission-to-the-australian-royal-commission/
