FACT Aotearoa News Briefs 8 June 2026

Former SAS soldier says international far-right groups growing in New Zealand - Radio New Zealand
Chris Kumeroa, a security expert specialising in counter terrorism and human trafficking, said extremist movements overseas were increasingly influencing local groups through online platforms, disinformation networks and ideological recruitment. He said political polarisation, international conflicts and conspiracy movements had helped fuel the spread of extremist narratives in New Zealand since the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/crime-and-justice/596107/former-sas-soldier-says-international-far-right-groups-growing-in-new-zealand

Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks prompt raft of conspiracy theories in divided USA - The Guardian
Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks carry with them familiar attendants in the US: extreme conspiracy theories about a planned pandemic, or “plandemic”, designed to upend midterm elections or push new vaccines or any one of a myriad of wild ideas.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/25/ebola-hantavirus-conspiracy-theories

The Ebola Disinformation Playbook Activated in Under 12 Hours - Celine Grounder
Within hours of the Bundibugyo PHEIC, the same conspiracy theories, supplement sales, and chain emails surfaced. Here’s the playbook and how to spot it.
https://www.celinegounder.com/p/ebola-disinformation-playbook

Just five posts may be enough to shape what people believe online, study finds - Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
A new study published in Information Systems Research, a journal of INFORMS, suggests that social media users can begin developing stable opinions about unfamiliar topics after seeing only a handful of consistent posts. Researchers found that after roughly five exposures, users' impressions often began stabilizing and shaping how they responded to future information.
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-people-online.html

I’m a Professional Fact-Checker. AI Is Wrong More Often Than You Think - Wired
AI tools remain unreliable for verifying information, with studies showing error rates of 45-60% in chatbots and AI search engines. Testing major LLMs with a fact-checking assignment, none actually completed the task. While post-hoc fact-checking organisations use AI to flag claims, human verification remains essential. Much of human knowledge exists offline, beyond AI's reach.
https://www.wired.com/story/fact-checking-ai/

Equip yourself with the information and tools to be your own fact-checker - FactCheck Knowledge Bank (Ireland)
A comprehensive guide to learning about conspiracy theories and disinformation in an Irish context around the climate crisis, conflict, elections, migration, public health, and society
https://www.factchecking.ie

Into the Manosphere: Louis Theroux’s Documentary and How Platforms Enable the Business of Misogyny - GNET
In Louis Theroux’s latest documentary, Into the Manosphere, the British documentarian speaks directly with manosphere influencers. The manosphere is a loose network of communities that claim to address the societal struggles of men while promoting idealised versions of masculinity, as well as anti-feminist and misogynistic views. Groups within the manosphere are often united by an opposition to feminism and the presentation of men as the victims of a cultural and political shift that has favoured women.
https://gnet-research.org/2026/06/02/into-the-manosphere-louis-therouxs-documentary-and-how-platforms-enable-the-business-of-misogyny/

ConspiraSeries - Radio New Zealand
And just for fun, check out this RNZ production from 2022 on the why, how, and WTF of Aotearoa New Zealand's most outrageous conspiracy theories, including the Great Mt Victoria Spaghetti Dump of 2018, UFO sightings, giant male bodyparts in the sky, and more.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/video/conspiraseries