Online posts are using flawed logic and false information to malign
Posts shared thousands of times on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have attempted to link
But these attacks on
Here’s a closer look at the facts.
CLAIM:
THE FACTS: These claims are not supported by evidence. Social media posts in recent weeks have pointed to three different examples of purported connections between
The first claim involves snorkeling trips that a
“REVEALED: Disney Was Sending Kids To Epstein’s ‘Pedophile Island’ For ‘Snorkeling Trips,’” read one widely shared headline.
Posts pointed to a website titled “Magical Kingdoms,” which included a description of a 3.5-hour
However,
“The island, as well as another location, were included in the description of a third-party tour so that participants could identify the areas where snorkeling would be available," the statement read. "The tour had no connection to the island itself and
The second claim — that
“The islands known as
For the third claim, social media users are sharing photos of Maxwell at a
But the photos don’t prove that. According to a photo caption provided online by the
The photos were also captured before Maxwell met Epstein, according to her own recollection in a 2016 deposition, when she said she met Epstein in 1991.
The Mirror did not respond to an emailed request for comment, and
CLAIM: Authorities recently arrested 108
THE FACTS: Four Disney employees along with 104 other people were arrested as part of a
The suspects who told detectives they were
One of the four was arrested for allegedly sending sexual images and graphic texts to an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl, while the other three were arrested for allegedly attempting to solicit a prostitute, according to Judd.
CLAIM: The CEO of
THE FACTS: There is no record of any arrest of
A Twitter user elevated the blog’s false claim in March, writing that “The CEO of
Chapek lives in
Additionally, a federal database search returned no such records.
Twitter later removed the widely-circulating tweet “for violating our rules” and suspended the user who first shared it.
CLAIM: Disney’s decision to incorporate LGBTQ themes and characters into its content shows that the company is “grooming” children to be gay.
THE FACTS: The term “grooming” is being used on social media to undermine Disney’s diversity initiatives, a tactic that also has been used at school board meetings across the country by parents who oppose discussions of sexual orientation in schools.
But that's a departure from the commonly understood meaning of grooming, according to experts, who say the term refers to specific tactics that sexual abusers use to initiate contact with their victims.
“Disney’s Obsession With Grooming Children Is Nothing New, But Their Openness About It Is,” read the headline of an article that discussed Disney’s efforts to incorporate LGBTQ characters into its programs.
“Groomer-Gate: 15 Times Disney Promoted LGBTQAI2S+ in Children’s Programing,” read the headline of a conservative blog post that was later deleted.
These claims operate on a false premise that sexual orientation and gender identity are imposed upon kids,
Incorporating LGBTQ characters into
Grooming refers to the “deceptive process” by which a would-be sexual-abuser chooses a vulnerable victim, gains access to them and isolates them, gains their trust and often their family’s trust and community’s trust, and then desensitizes them to sexual content and physical contact before the abuse happens, according to
“The way grooming has been used in the media as of late does not reflect sexual grooming as it has been described as in the research literature,” Jeglic told the AP in an email. “Dilution of the term can be very dangerous because it is only now that we are starting to understand how predators use sexual grooming strategies to abuse children.”
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.
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