KQED's Forum Conspiracy Theory Expert Experiences Eaton Fire Disinformation Firsthand
Nov 4, 2025
Mike Rothschild, a journalist and expert on conspiracy theories, shares his firsthand experience during the Eaton Fire in Altadena. He discusses how trauma opens communities to disinformation, including peculiar claims about political motives and false narratives that compounded survivors' hardships. Rothschild emphasizes the urgent need for reliable information during crises and the rapid spread of conspiracy theories through the internet. He also explores the psychology behind belief, the social bonds formed through conspiracies, and the challenges of maintaining connections with those drawn to conspiratorial thinking.
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Hearing Conspiracies In A Survivor Meeting
- Mike Rothschild described a heated May listening session where survivors yelled and blamed various actors for the Eaton Fire.
- He felt torn between debunking false claims and empathizing with people who had just lost their homes.
False Hope And Tangible Keepsakes
- People in Altadena forwarded hopeful but false claims like generous FEMA vouchers and recovered burned Bible pages.
- Rothschild tried correcting falsehoods like the FEMA myth and helped preserve ambiguous artifacts in Ziploc bags.
Why Conspiracies Fill Chaos
- Conspiracy beliefs often emerge from the human need for certainty and patterns in chaos.
- People prefer a clear villain or explanation rather than accepting random, complex factors like wildfire behavior.
