Lead image by Dario Ayala/Reuters
As one of the worst mass shootings in Canada unfolded Sunday evening in Quebec City, news outlets around the world struggled to get a handle on the facts. Hours before names of suspects were made public, media reported that at least two masked gunman stormed the mosque that was the scene of the carnage, one of whom was said to be a Muslim of Moroccan descent. That man would eventually be revealed to be an innocent bystander who got caught up in the chaos.That was just one part of the misinformation that would take hold. Fox News and others circulated false statements about the attack, and White House press secretary Sean Spicer even used it to justify President Trump's ban on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations. We trace how a narrative morphed and was exploited to suit right-wing interests at a time when there are heightened fears around Islamophobia and the credibility of journalism is at stake.Read more on VICE News.
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