It’s primetime for conspiracy theorist video creators

阴谋论视频创作者的“黄金时代”

In the days since this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner was cut short when shots were fired at the event, there has been a boom of conspiracy theory videos created by people who insist that the entire situation was a false flag operation. These kinds of theories are nothing new, but the way they’re spreading now is a reflection of how reaction video culture is reshaping our social media landscape. And even though the initial chaos around the shooting has started to die down, content creators are still posting about what “really” happened.

自今年白宫记者协会晚宴因枪击事件被迫中断以来，大量阴谋论视频涌现，创作者们坚称整起事件是一场“假旗行动”（false flag operation）。这类阴谋论并不新鲜，但它们当下的传播方式反映了“反应视频”（reaction video）文化正在如何重塑我们的社交媒体格局。尽管围绕枪击事件的最初混乱已逐渐平息，但内容创作者们仍在不断发布关于“真相”究竟是什么的视频。

There is still much we do not know about Cole Allen, the 31-year-old suspected shooter who allegedly traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, ahead of the WCHD and was staying in the same Hilton where the event was held. But that has not stopped content creators from flooding platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X with videos purporting to have more insightful takes on the situation than what’s being reported by the mainstream media.

关于31岁的嫌疑枪手科尔·艾伦（Cole Allen），我们仍有许多未知。据称，他在晚宴前从洛杉矶前往华盛顿特区，并入住了举办活动的同一家希尔顿酒店。但这并没有阻止内容创作者们在YouTube、TikTok、Instagram和X等平台上发布海量视频，声称他们对局势的解读比主流媒体的报道更为深刻。

Many of these videos are shot in people’s cars — a recurring trope for influencers recording themselves eating or doing makeup tutorials. Others keep things casual by recording themselves on their porches. Some creators opt for a more professional vibe with setups meant to resemble broadcast news desks. Most of the videos make a big deal out of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that there would be “some shots fired” at the dinner — a common phrase that means poignant criticisms will be expressed. The videos frame Leavitt’s comments as proof that the shooting was staged as a distraction while the US continues to wage war with Iran ahead of this year’s upcoming midterm elections.

许多视频是在车内拍摄的——这是网红们录制进食或化妆教程时的常用场景。另一些创作者则选择在门廊录制，风格较为随意。还有一些创作者追求更专业的氛围，布置出类似新闻演播室的背景。大多数视频大肆渲染白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特（Karoline Leavitt）在晚宴前曾表示会有“some shots fired”（意指尖锐的批评），并将此作为枪击事件是“为了转移注意力而策划”的证据，声称美国正借此掩盖在今年中期选举前与伊朗持续进行的战争。

None of these videos reveal anything that hasn’t already been reported out via traditional media outlets. But each of them speaks to the way that this brand of content has become a normal part of people’s media consumption habits and something that creators see as a viable way to capture attention. In the US, trust in traditional media outlets is at a historic low and more people are turning to social media to stay informed about world events. And that shift has given conspiracy-minded content creators a choice opportunity to influence the way people understand reality.

这些视频中没有任何内容是传统媒体尚未报道过的。但每一段视频都表明，这类内容已成为人们媒体消费习惯的常态，也是创作者们眼中获取关注的有效途径。在美国，公众对传统媒体的信任度处于历史最低点，越来越多的人转向社交媒体来获取世界动态。这种转变给了阴谋论导向的内容创作者一个绝佳的机会，去影响人们对现实的认知。

All of this is similar to what happened in 2024 when Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for the presidency. Then, creators rushed to capitalize on the event while also writing it off as a false flag designed to garner sympathy for the Republican nominee. That news cycle and subsequent discourse dragged on for weeks, both because it was a significant moment in an election year and because it was difficult to understand how Trump could have been shot in his ear without sustaining any visible damage afterward.

这一切与2024年唐纳德·特朗普在总统竞选期间遭遇暗杀未遂时的情况如出一辙。当时，创作者们争相利用该事件牟利，并将其斥为旨在为共和党候选人博取同情的“假旗行动”。那个新闻周期及随后的讨论持续了数周，原因不仅在于这是选举年的重大时刻，还在于人们难以理解特朗普为何在耳朵中弹后却没有留下任何可见的伤痕。

Many of the newer videos about the WHCD shooting suggest that we should look at these events as a response to the Trump administration’s propensity for spreading misinformation. And while there is no evidence to suggest that the WHCD shooting was, in fact, orchestrated with Trump’s approval, one could argue the administration is at least partially responsible for the way that this idea has gained traction across the internet.

许多关于此次白宫记者协会晚宴枪击案的新视频认为，我们应将这些事件视为对特朗普政府散布虚假信息倾向的一种“回应”。虽然没有证据表明此次枪击案确实是在特朗普的授意下策划的，但可以说，这种阴谋论之所以能在互联网上大行其道，特朗普政府至少负有部分责任。

As easy as it is to laugh at the constant barrage of shitposts coming out of the president’s social media accounts and other official governmental channels, they have undoubtedly had an impact on the way that the public thinks about the current administration. By sharing ugly, immature memes and AI-generated images of Trump as a Christlike figure, the White House has told people that nothing is to be taken seriously and everything can be turned into a crude joke. And at a time when all of the internet’s biggest social media platforms have begun encouraging their users to upload videos of themselves while chasing engagement, it makes sense that many would see this past weekend’s shooting as a chance to boost their profiles.

尽管人们很容易对总统社交媒体账号及其他官方渠道不断发布的垃圾帖（shitposts）付之一笑，但它们无疑影响了公众对现任政府的看法。通过分享丑陋、幼稚的表情包以及将特朗普描绘成基督形象的AI生成图片，白宫向人们传达了一种“无需认真对待任何事，一切皆可化为粗俗笑话”的信息。在互联网各大社交平台纷纷鼓励用户上传视频以博取流量的当下，许多人将上周末的枪击事件视为提升个人影响力的机会，也就不足为奇了。

Trump has made nonsensical “jokes” a significant part of his political brand, and people are responding with very similar energy.

特朗普已将荒谬的“笑话”作为其政治品牌的重要组成部分，而人们正以极其相似的能量做出回应。