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Sandy Hook Hoaxers Update

An update on the conspiracy theorists who deny the shootings at Sandy Hook took place; how do you get a hashtag to trend around the world, and the joys of sailing on the sea.

An update on American conspiracy theorists who deny that twenty-six people, mostly young children, died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. False rumours that the attacks were staged were pushed by media mogul Alex Jones, and his online news site Infowars. Big social media companies have now shut down Infowars’ and Alex Jones’ accounts. This is an update of a story that was originally broadcast in March 2017.

How do you get a hashtag to trend around the world? We look at the numbers behind the case of a politician who is little known outside the United Kingdom but became a hot topic online.

Lesley Curwen has sailed thousands of miles around Europe on her yacht and knows the strange joy of being out of sight of land. Talking to fellow sea-lovers , she asks why we are drawn to go to sea and put ourselves at the mercy of wind and waves.

Photo: Alex Jones, founder of Infowars
Credit: Getty Images

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26 minutes

Last on

Thu 16 Aug 2018 23:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 16 Aug 2018 08:06GMT
  • Thu 16 Aug 2018 17:06GMT
  • Thu 16 Aug 2018 23:06GMT

Podcast