Fake News: Clinton Family Involved in Secret "PizzaGate" Pedophile Sex Ring
By: Carson Parmalee
Tags: Hillary Clinton, Shooting, Pizza

Introduction:

On Sunday, December 4, 2016, a 28-year-old man was arrested for entering a Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria in Washington, D.C., and opening fire based on the falsely heard allegations that James Alefantis, owner of the establishment, in partnership with Hillary Clinton, was running an underground secret pedophile ring within the walls of the business. According to Kate Samuelson at Time.com, some of the allegations were saying, “the back room was supposedly used for kidnapping and trafficking children” (Samuelson). Now, why would someone state such a profound idea without a clear picture? Based on further research and examination, the “PizzaGate” scandal can be and has been considered false and fake news.

Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, surrendered in December of 2016 after storming Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria in Washington, D.C. based on rumors of an underground secret pedophile ring within the business.

Research

This story first came to light when a Clinton campaign chairman’s emails were leaked online, leaving users of the popular message channel 4Chan to speculate and place conspiracy theories (Samuelson). Websites such as Time, BBC News, and The New York Times all commented and elaborated on the story, covering and cementing the idea that it is fake news. According to BBC News, users registered on the message board 4Chan “trawled Alefantis’ Instagram feed for pictures of children and the modern art which lines his restaurant’s walls, and dreamt up a pedophile sex ring involving prominent politicians and political donors.” These people went online and looked for anything that could possibly correlate to the construed image they made for themselves in their heads. Maybe if they were to ask or do their own research before going public with false information, these 4Chan “sleuths” would have found out that Mr. Alefantis’ relationship with the Clinton’s was never too personal or political. According to Cecilia Kang in the New York Times, “While Mr. Alefantis has some prominent Democratic friends in Washington and was a supporter of Mrs. Clinton, he has never met her, does not sell or abuse children, and is not being investigated by law enforcement for any of these claims” (Kang). How can people who have never met orchestrate and organize what I would imagine being complicated as to housing and abusing children without anyone realizing or suspecting anything? Mr. Alefantis would receive numerous threats and disturbing messages the days following the released “news.” These unforgiving messages leave feelings of vulnerability and weakness, even triggering protests in the way of business (Kang).

The Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria in Washington D.C. where an encounter featuring a firearm was utilized as a result of feelings over a fake news article.

Conclusion

Information can be spread like a game of telephone as a kid. When one person starts saying one thing, the original phrase is completely misconstrued and out of line from what was initially stated by the end of the line. Today, this has become a big issue as fake news on a particular scale can be detrimental to some who are being directly affected. When establishing an idea or comment about something or someone, conduct proper research to avoid misleading or hurtful information against the subject. If individuals were not fueled by what they heard from an unreliable source, situations like the Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria encounter would cease to exist. Fake news could be refuted early enough if consumers knew the correct ways to identify fake and false information.

Works Cited

Kang, Cecilia. “Fake News Onslaught Targets Pizzeria as Nest of Child-Trafficking.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Nov. 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/technology/fact-check-this-pizzeria-is-not-a-child-trafficking-site.html.

Samuelson, Kate. “What to Know About Pizzagate, the Fake News Story With Real Consequences.” Time, Time, 5 Dec. 2016, https://time.com/4590255/pizzagate-fake-news-what-to-know/.

“The Saga of ‘Pizzagate’: The Fake Story That Shows How Conspiracy Theories Spread.” BBC News, BBC, 2 Dec. 2016, https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38156985.