Birds Aren’t Real, a conspiracy theory with an apparently absurd premise, has become surprisingly popular in the past few years.

But its followers were in on the joke: The movement’s aim was to poke fun at misinformation … by creating misinformation.

Has it been successful?

Guest: Taylor Lorenz, a former technology reporter for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• Among the outlandish claims of the Birds Aren’t Real movement: Our feathered friends are really U.S. government drones used to spy on Americans.

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