麻豆约拍

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in a school shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, when a teenager opened fire - the deadliest shooting at a US elementary school since 20 children and six adults died at Sandy Hook school a decade ago. Online discussion about the shooting began as soon as reports of the shooting started to emerge.

Shayan Sardarizadeh from 麻豆约拍 Monitoring says that alongside the news and conversation, misinformation and disinformation have been circulating. He says these have included "horrific allegations" directed at the families of the victims (something that was also seen after the Sandy Hook shootings), and false allegations that a trans person was the main suspect (despite the fact that the suspect has already been identified and is now deceased). He goes on to say that fake social media accounts have been set up in the name of the gunman, primarily on Instagram and TikTok, probably in an attempt to mislead the media. He notes there may have been hints as to the gunman's intentions on his Instagram account, which he posted a few days before the shooting.

Photo: Flowers are placed on a make shift memorial outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Credit: Getty Images