QAnon: Why is 2020 the perfect storm for a conspiracy theory?

QAnon: Why is 2020 the perfect storm for a conspiracy theory?

By Sky News

QAnon is a conspiracy theory which alleges that top Democrats, billionaires and Hollywood celebrities are Satan-worshipping and running child sex-trafficking rings. The only person that can save America from them is Donald Trump, believers of the theory say.

In just three years it’s gone from anonymous posts on fringe message boards to having at least 100,000 followers and being designated a potential domestic terror threat by the FBI. The president himself has refused to debunk it.

On this episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, host Noel Phillips is joined by Professor Joseph Pierre, Health Sciences Clinical Professor at the University of California, to discuss the psychology behind QAnon and Dr Ashley Frawley, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at Swansea University, who explains why humans are drawn to conspiracy theories.

Plus Kate Shemirani from the UK anti-vaccination movement tells us why she thinks COVID-19 is a tool of compliance.

Daily podcast team:
Podcast producer - Annie Joyce
Podcast producer - Nicola Eyers
Podcast producer - Emma Rae Woodhouse
Interviews producer - Oli Foster
Archive - Simon Windsor
Music - Steven Wheeler
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