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On Dec. 14, 2012, 20 children and 6 adults were killed in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In this piece for #IETheIssue, @RuthBashinksy reports on the toll conspiracy theories about the massacre continue to take on victims’ families. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
1/ Lenny Pozner’s son Noah was one of the 20 children killed by gunman Adam Lanza, who opened fire using a semi-automatic rifle in Noah’s classroom before turning the gun on himself. Hours before, Lanza had fatally shot his own mother at their home. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
2/ All 20 children were either 6 or 7 years old. Six adult staff members were also killed in the shooting. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
3/ When news of the shooting broke, Pozner and Noah’s mother, Veronique De La Rosa, raced to the school, terrified. The family would soon learn that their two daughters survived the shooting – but their son did not. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
4/ At that moment, Pozner’s life changed forever. Because not only did he have to learn how to live without his son, but he also would become a lightning rod for conspiracy theorists. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
5/ Within hours, Pozner and the other families became the targets of conspiracy theorists who claimed that it wasn’t a real shooting, that the children were not real, or that the government may be involved, or that they were faking their grief. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
6/ For Pozner, conspiracy theories about Big Foot, or the notion that Area 51 is packed with things the government is hiding, are harmless, noting how little they compare to what he and other parents who lost children at Sandy Hook have dealt with. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
7/ “[But] today, there is no separation between the online world and offline world and things from the internet carry into our daily lives and can affect us…” https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
8/ “…That is how the internet and false theories have impacted our lives. While Alex Jones knows he is lying many of the people that share it don't know that they are sharing lies.” https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
9/ When a mass casualty happens, witnesses often speak to reporters. Pozner says this is fodder for conspiracy theorists, who vilify witnesses, and make videos and write blogs about them. And often, the people at the core of a tragedy are also scrutinized. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
10/ Pozner decided he would be transparent by showing the accusers evidence. “Whatever information I had access to, I released. Noah’s birth certificate, his death certificate, the medical examiner’s report. Photos of Noah and his very short life…” https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
11/ However, it did not quiet those who believed that Noah did not die and that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax. And, the harassing and online stalking continued to escalate. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
12/ Pozner was also on the receiving end of antisemitism. After Noah was written about in the media as a Jewish child from Sandy Hook, ugly comments made by faceless commenters were rampant. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
13/ Pozner pushed back, becoming an advocate in an effort to protect those more vulnerable than he from the online harassment that grows out of conspiracy theorists, and launched the nonprofit organization, @honrnetwork, in 2014. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
14/ The initiative made Pozner a bigger target. He continues to be harassed and has dealt with death threats. One woman was sentenced to prison for death threats she made against him. Another was arrested for distributing private information about him. https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
15/ “I have to make sure my life is safer. Having grade school children and not expose them to any additional danger coming from people who are confused about what the truth is. People who don’t care what truth is.” https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
Noah Pozner would have turned 14 on Nov. 20.
For @RuthBashinsky’s full story “For the Father of a Sandy Hook Victim, Conspiracy Theories Are Much More Than Just Internet Fodder” for #IETheIssue: https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
For @RuthBashinsky’s full story “For the Father of a Sandy Hook Victim, Conspiracy Theories Are Much More Than Just Internet Fodder” for #IETheIssue: https://ietv.co/37yXhX3
