Newfoundland & Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador Opinion

Share this Story : PNI Atlantic News Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

PAM FRAMPTON: It’s getting harder to find real news in the X cesspool

Twitter was once driven by news, but X has become a site filled with propagating mistruths and influencing public thinking

In the video, clips of triumphant moments in American baseball are interspersed with grainy scenes of missiles causing catastrophic damage to infrastructure — presumably recorded acts of war.

Subscribe now to access this story and more:

Unlimited access to the website and app

Exclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcasts

Full access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists

Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.

Unlimited access to the website and app

Exclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcasts

Full access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists

Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.

Access additional stories every month

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting community

Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

“Pure American dominance,” reads the post, which was made by the White House a week after the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran.

Linking a sports highlight reel to scenes of missile strikes in another country sends a crude but, by now, well-worn message: Trump’s U.S.A. is “winning” on all fronts.

It’s another minute of my life wasted as I scroll through X (formerly Twitter), trying to find the latest actual news on the war in Iran.

Pure American dominance. 💥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nvgWLar2ak— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2026

Pure American dominance. 💥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nvgWLar2ak

Click elsewhere: Halifax council votes for municipality to stop using X

Halifax centre for education abandons former Twitter app

Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

Twitter used to be a great source for breaking news.

When I joined the social media platform 15 years ago, it was the place to be. Local, national and international journalists had a strong presence there; indeed, when I worked in The Telegram newsroom, we were expected to maintain an active social media profile. It was a role most of us took seriously; as journalists, we were public representatives of our news organizations, and we owed readers/viewers as much attention to detail and accuracy in our tweets as we did in print, radio, TV or on our news websites.

I recall watching for real-time tweets from the courtroom as local reporters covered the verdict of a high-profile murder trial in St. John’s. Back then, you often got the news on Twitter first, and it was a legitimate forum. Sure, people were posting photos of their lunch or their adorable cats, but news was prominent.

Now, as we find ourselves firmly entrenched in the post-truth era, X and other social media platforms have become purveyors of misinformation, disinformation and outright fabrication. You can still find news there, but it is often lost amid the AI slop, political memes, unfounded rumours, soft porn and so-called life hacks, including one illuminating tutorial that shows you how to hide your valuables on the beach under a toilet seat that you’ve buried in the sand.

Rip them off: Halifax council orders developer to remove two illegal floors in Dartmouth Halifax

Rip them off: Halifax council orders developer to remove two illegal floors in Dartmouth

Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

Fuel prices drop in P.E.I. on March 11, 2026 Prince Edward Island

Fuel prices drop in P.E.I. on March 11, 2026

Cape Breton woman charged with Tim Hortons dog mace assault Cape Breton

Cape Breton woman charged with Tim Hortons dog mace assault

How a Charlottetown market keeps prices low as global grocery costs keep growing Prince Edward Island

How a Charlottetown market keeps prices low as global grocery costs keep growing

La Cucina owner still looking for reasons why lease wasn't renewed for popular Dartmouth Crossing restaurant Halifax Business

La Cucina owner still looking for reasons why lease wasn't renewed for popular Dartmouth Crossing restaurant

Recently, as I searched X for news from reporters on the ground in Tehran, Kuwait, Dubai and Washington, I was bombarded by blatant lies announcing the deaths of celebrities who had not, in fact, been killed by bomb blasts in Tel Aviv, unsourced photos of U.S. President Donald Trump being used to diagnose his physical and mental frailties, and a positively bizarre thread about whether or not it was actually Jim Carrey or an impostor in Paris on Feb. 26 who accepted the César Award for his lifetime of work in film.

In case you missed that “news,” idle speculation about whether it was Carrey or a body double who had accepted the award prompted British makeup artist Alexis Stone to claim they had impersonated Carrey at the ceremony — a claim seemingly bolstered by an Instagram photo of a wig, mask and fake teeth that Stone posted, purportedly from some location near the Eiffel Tower. Stone’s claim has since been debunked by officials from the César Awards, who have assured the public that Carrey accepted the film award in the flesh.

As horror movie journalist John Squires (@FreddyInSpace) observed on X on March 2: “The mainstreaming of complete and total insanity has been a strange thing to watch in recent years. We now require news reports to confirm that clearly Jim Carrey is clearly Jim Carrey and not a clone or an alien or a reptile in a human skin suit. What are we doing anymore?”

The mainstreaming of complete and total insanity has been a strange thing to watch in recent years.We now require news reports to confirm that clearly Jim Carrey is clearly Jim Carrey and not a clone or an alien or a reptile in a human skin suit.What are we doing anymore? https://t.co/rO6192t0jX— John Squires 🎃 (@FreddyInSpace) March 2, 2026

The mainstreaming of complete and total insanity has been a strange thing to watch in recent years.We now require news reports to confirm that clearly Jim Carrey is clearly Jim Carrey and not a clone or an alien or a reptile in a human skin suit.What are we doing anymore? https://t.co/rO6192t0jX

Propagation and influence

What are we doing, indeed? If it were just wild conspiracy theories about celebrities, that would be inane enough, but social media platforms like X and Trump’s “Truth Social” are being used for a far more sinister purpose: to propagate deliberate untruths and influence public thinking.

When then-U.S. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem blamed Minnesotans Renee Good and Alex Pretti for their own deaths and for interfering with federal immigration agents — branding them domestic terrorists — those lies spread like a smoke bomb on social media.

Any anonymous troll can post a lie and call it the truth, but when leaders of powerful countries do it, it carries far more weight and inflicts much greater damage.

X, under Elon Musk’s purview, has become a chaos mill, a platform where innocuous dreck and hateful propaganda exist cheek by jowl.

But as much as I’d like to get off this crazy train, I believe it’s important to keep a watchful eye, if only to keep track of the lies we’re being fed.

Pam Frampton lives in St. John’s. Email pamelajframpton@gmail.com | X: @Pam_Frampton | Bluesky: @pamframpton.bsky.social

Share this Story : PNI Atlantic News Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

How to pick the right Endy Hybrid Mattress for your best sleep The Endy Hybrid Mattress is available in three firmness options - I tried the medium-firm mattress, and it’s a favourite 1 hour ago Sleep

How to pick the right Endy Hybrid Mattress for your best sleep

The Endy Hybrid Mattress is available in three firmness options - I tried the medium-firm mattress, and it’s a favourite

Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

Cozey's extendable dining table just dropped — does it match the couch craze? A Canadian-made table that grows with you 15 hours ago Kitchen & Dining

Cozey's extendable dining table just dropped — does it match the couch craze?

A Canadian-made table that grows with you

These are the 3 best beauty products we tried this week Beauty Buzz: The 3 best beauty products we tried this week from Dior, Sisley Paris and Fenty Beauty. 19 hours ago Fashion & Beauty

These are the 3 best beauty products we tried this week

Beauty Buzz: The 3 best beauty products we tried this week from Dior, Sisley Paris and Fenty Beauty.

I wanted to see Japan without the crowds and found an island rich in history and hot springs Kyushu invites guests to visit a quieter side of the country 21 hours ago Travel

I wanted to see Japan without the crowds and found an island rich in history and hot springs

Kyushu invites guests to visit a quieter side of the country

We got early access to Apple's most affordable MacBook ever — here's our verdict Is the newest (and cheapest) MacBook worth buying? 23 hours ago Tech

We got early access to Apple's most affordable MacBook ever — here's our verdict

Is the newest (and cheapest) MacBook worth buying?

© PNI Atlantic news