Elon Musk and others spread meme reviving unfounded ‘pizzagate’ conspiracy theory
FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2016 file photo, the front door of Comet Ping Pong pizza shop in Washington. The Associated Press on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, reported on social media posts falsely claiming that an expert who debunked the “pizzagate” conspiracy theory has been jailed for possessing child sexual abuse images. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
CLAIM: An expert who debunked the “pizzagate” conspiracy theory has been jailed for possessing child sexual abuse images.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A former ABC reporter referenced in a meme circulating online was recently sentenced to federal prison for such crimes, but he never investigated the “pizzagate” conspiracy theory.
THE FACTS: The long-dormant “pizzagate” conspiracy theory – which posited that Democratic Party insiders harbored child sex slaves in a Washington, D.C. pizza parlor — has been revived online in recent days, boosted by prominent social media users including Elon Musk.
The unfounded rumor was popular among supporters of Republican Donald Trump during his winning 2016 campaign for president and even led a North Carolina man to travel to Washington and fire a rifle in a local pizza parlor where he believed children were being enslaved.
Musk and others shared a meme referencing the television series “The Office,” breathing new life into the false narrative.
Using a series of images of Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer’s characters from the hit show, the meme claims the conspiracy theory is “real,” involved “trafficked children” and that an expert who had debunked the theory “just went to jail for child porn.”
“Does seem at least a little suspicious,” wrote Musk in a since-deleted post on Tuesday sharing the meme on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a follow up post to his nearly 165 million followers, the tech billionaire linked to a story about the September sentencing of former ABC journalist James Gordon Meek for possessing and transporting child sexual abuse images, implying the Virginia resident is the expert referenced in the meme.
But Meek didn’t play a role in debunking the conspiracy theory.
The false connection stems from an image of a fabricated New York Post headline that spread online in recent months.
“Award winning ABC journalist who ‘debunked’ pizzagate, pleads guilty in horrific child porn case,” the headline reads over an image of Meek.
The newspaper didn’t comment Wednesday, but a search of its website archive showed no such story, and the headline image does not match the outlet’s style. Other headlines on the outlet’s site do not use all-caps or end in periods, as the bogus one does.
Spokespersons for ABC News didn’t respond to messages seeking comment, but a review of the network’s online archives shows Meek never published an investigation on “pizzagate” while employed there.
A 2017 story he co-wrote about Russian propaganda during the war in Syria only briefly mentions the conspiracy theory.
Instead, numerous news outlets at the time, including CNN and The New York Times, debunked the rumor.
Meek, who covered national security issues until his resignation last year, was sentenced to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse images.
In addition to this meme, other social media users are sharing a screenshot of a headline claiming the FBI has announced that “Pizzagate is real.”
However, there is no evidence of the agency, which didn’t respond to requests for comment, making such a statement.
Instead, the headline comes from a site that is known for spreading misinformation and fake quotes. The post itself misrepresents a statement from an FBI agent in a different case related to child sexual abuse material.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.
