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Newtown 'Truthers' - Why Conspiracies Won't Quit

Flickr Creative Commons, mr.mcclurken

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Commodore%20Skahill/Colin%20McEnroe%201-24-2013.mp3

We decided, after much debate, to do a show addressing the bizarre and unpalatable conspiracy theories that have arisen in the wake of the Newtown massacre.

We apologize for even having to do it. After what that town and those families have been though, it's sickening to think they have to hear about claims that the children are not really dead, that the incident was staged as part of a plan to take guns away, or that the official narrative of the event does not square with the facts. 
 
We're not going to dwell on those specific claims today. We're not going to air them or rebut them.  We're going to focus more on the historical pattern into which they fit and on the question of whether, in a digital age, they spread much more rapidly and perniciously. 
 
I wish there were no topic such as this one. But I think it's real enough so that it fits into our mission of informing you.
 
You can join the conversation. E-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.

Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.