About

The Truth About is a commonly used snowclone found in the titles of politically divisive videos, usually showcasing with a conservative bias that is at odds with the mainstream media. While these videos advertise truth, they often feature misinformation, conspiracy theories and aim to promote a political agenda.

Origin

The origin of the phrase is unknown. The earliest known version of the phrase is the video "The Truth About Voting" by white nationalist and conspiracy theorist Stefan Molyneaux on October 28th, 2008.^[1] As of February 11th, 2019, the video received more than 291,000 views. YouTube removed the video after banning Stefan Molyneaux for promoting hate speech.^[2]

Spread

Over the next decade, the phrase found its way into numerous political videos. Conspiracy theorist and alt-right YouTuber Paul Joseph Watson became a frequent practitioner of the phrase, producing videos, such as "The Truth About Black Lives Matter" and "The Truth About Russia's Anti-Gay Law" (shown below, left and right). He produced more than 60 "Truth About" videos between 2014 and 2020.

The Truth About Breonna Taylor

Following the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black nursing student was accidentally shot and killed by police in her home, left-wing activists demanded the removal and arrest of the offers who shot her. In response, numerous right-wing activists produced "The Truth About Breonna Taylor" videos that disputed some of the facts of the case. On September 23rd, 2020, for example, Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk released "Charlie Kirk: Know The TRUTH About Breonna Taylor." The post received more than 200,000 views in less than one week (shown below).

On September 24th, 2020, the New York Times^[3] published a report on the videos, writing that, in addition to Kirk, "Graham Allen, Candace Owens and Brandon Tatum, three other right-wing commentators, also had popular posts calling attention to 'the truth about' Ms. Taylor’s killing." They continue:

The “Truth About” format, which promised a kind of secret knowledge to viewers, was appealing to those who distrusted the mainstream media and wanted to hear an alternative explanation for police violence

[…]

Most “Truth About” treatments of police killings follow a standard format. In each case, an influencer calls into question the mainstream media’s framing of the episode, and barrages the audience with details about the victims’ pasts and the circumstances of their deaths in an attempt to prove that, while they may not have deserved to die, they were far from innocent.

Search Interest

External References