How verified accounts helped make fake images of a Pentagon explosion go viral
Verified accounts on Twitter may have contributed to the viral spread of a false claim that an explosion was unfolding at the Pentagon on Monday. Verified accounts on Twitter may have contributed to the viral spread of a false claim that an explosion was unfolding at the Pentagon. Around 8:42 AM on Monday, a verified account on Twitter, labeling itself as a media and news organization, shared a fake image of smoke billowing near a white building they said was the Pentagon. The tweet's caption also misrepresented the Pentagon's located. No such incident took place, the Arlington County Fire Department later said on Twitter. The Pentagon, the headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Defense, is located in Arlington County, Virginia. A Pentagon spokesperson also told ABC News that no explosion had occurred. But throughout the morning, the fake image and misleading caption picked up steam on Twitter. Cyabra, a social analysis firm, analyzed the online conversation and f...