President John F. Kennedy at the White House just prior to a joint radio-television speech to the nation. (Getty Images)
Unraveling viral disinformation and explaining where it came from, the harm it's causing, and what we should do about it.
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Two weeks ago, when JFK failed to materialize, Protzman led his followers to a $300-a-ticket Rolling Stones concert that was taking place in the city and now claims without any evidence that the band had actually been replaced by Jackson (playing Mick Jagger), JFK Jr. (Keith Richards), and Prince (drummer Steve Jordan), while one of the backing singers was replaced by Aaliyah, the U.S. singer who died in a plane crash in 2001.Since then, the group has been holed up in the Hyatt hotel in Dallas, with videos posted to the group’s Telegram channels showing them dancing and singing, while Protzman continues to make wild predictions. In audio chats on Telegram channels populated by Protzman’s followers, the group’s members have discussed plans to establish a permanent base in the area, with one member of the group claiming his family has a property that could be used.Protzman has also been seeking donations from his online followers to fund the group’s accommodations, food, and suits and ball gowns for the inaugural ball he predicts will happen when JFK returns.On Sunday evening, pictures of Protzman wearing a tinfoil hat inside the hotel were posted to the Telegram channel.