We live in an age of post-truth where even the most unbelievable facts are twisted into more grotesque versions of themselves for the sake of sensationalism. On 31 January, the US Department of Justice released a new batch of documents forming part of the infamous Epstein Files. These documents contain testimonies, correspondence, and images related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. The files were meant to support the ongoing mission for legal accountability and clarity in a case that devastated so many women and children. The social media frenzy around them has muddled an already complicated and painful process.
The facts surrounding the Epstein Files have been disfigured for the sake of sensationalism where reporters prioritise public attention and shock value at the expense of facts, nuance, and truthful reporting. A clear example of this can be seen in the flood of social media posts accusing celebrities of involvement with Epstein simply because their names appear in the documents, even when they are mentioned only in passing and not in connection to any illegal activities. For example, comedian Jon Stewart was widely cited online as having been “named in the files”, a claim which paints someone as guilty of being involved in Epstein’s trafficking ring in spite of his name appearing only once – in a hypothetical pitch for a standup special. There are so many names in the 3.5 million documents published that assuming guilt based on someone’s name being mentioned not only implicates them in something that could ruin their reputation, but also distracts from the true criminals that these files are meant to expose.
Some sources have taken it even further and made up purely false information for the sake of personal or political gain. Certain partisan outlets have published false claims for personal or political gain, constructing narratives claiming that opposing politicians were involved with or knew of Epstein’s crimes based on incomplete excerpts or unverified allegations. The rise of AI has made this even worse by making the creation of false images possible, letting fake news sites publish images of Epstein with different celebrities and claiming that they were from the files.
A good way to ensure that these fake images do not trick you is by using one of many AI image checkers to verify whether the image was AI generated or not. For potentially false articles, you can check the authenticity by looking at whether or not the news source itself is credible, whether the source has any reason to defame those it mentions in relation to the files, or by simply checking the Epstein Files themselves on a website created by the FBI called “The Vault” (the more explicit content in the files might be triggering for some, so approach them with caution). Fact checking such a vast amount of information can be challenging, but that extra time spent helps to ensure that we do not end up believing potentially harmful lies.
It is our shared responsibility to minimise the spread of fake news, especially when it comes to cases like the Epstein Files where this news can end up denying the victims justice, distracting from the real facts that should be scrutinized, and letting the truly guilty parties off the hook by taking attention away from their crimes.
Visual: Amy Lamplough
