The United Center in Chicago, site of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. (Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)
At 1:07 p.m. EDT on Thursday “That Gay Guy Candle Co” posted to social media claiming that the Democratic National Convention (DNC) would have a surprise speaker, becoming one of the first large social media accounts to amplify rumors that later developed into two mainstream outlets publishing false reports.
After That Gay Guy Candle Co made their since-deleted X post referencing a CNN reporter on a possible surprise event, several other large liberal accounts began to spread the rumors, according to posts reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The saga culminated in TMZ and The Hill incorrectly reporting that Beyoncé would perform at the convention, which never materialized.
“Angry Staffer,” an anonymous account with around 600,000 followers, hinted in a post made at 1:28 p.m. EDT that they’d been clued into a “surprise” bigger than Oprah Winfrey speaking at the DNC the night before.
Brian Krassenstein, a well-known online critic of former President Donald Trump with a following nearing 860,000, claimed at 1:45 p.m. EDT that he had been told about a “major surprise” at the DNC.
After Beyoncé didn’t show up, the Angry Staffer account said that “the people who told me aren’t prone to hyperbole” and apologized for posting false information. It speculated that the false rumor could have been a ploy by the DNC to increase ratings, but expressed some doubt about the possibility. […]
— Read More: dailycallernewsfoundation.org
