ISD: top officials in NC and at FEMA responding to Hurricane Helene face antisemitic attacks largely on X, where 10 of the posts collectively drew 17.1M views

Report finds Elon Musk's X is fueling conspiracy theories that risk undermining rescue efforts and preparations for Hurricane Milton.

Washington Post 2024-10-09

Context & Ripple Effects

ISD’s finding extends a documented pattern on X: its earlier research found antisemitic posting rose after Musk’s acquisition, while separate election research found high-reach false claims could circulate without Community Notes. The new case puts that pattern in an emergency-response setting, where public confidence affects whether official guidance is heeded.

The coverage also follows prior scrutiny of unreliable accounts amplified around the Israel-Hamas war and lawmakers’ concerns about X’s incentives around anti-Israel content. Earlier ISD-linked research on the rise in antisemitic posts makes the attacks on emergency officials more than an isolated moderation failure.

First-order effects

FEMA and North Carolina officials must contend with antisemitic harassment and conspiracy narratives alongside disaster communications, potentially complicating efforts to establish authoritative information channels.
X is again identified as the principal distribution venue for high-reach harmful content; the report’s 17.1 million-view figure makes its amplification role measurable rather than anecdotal.

Second-order effects

Emergency managers and local partners may need to devote more communications capacity to rebutting false claims and directing residents to verified updates, during a period when preparedness messaging is time-sensitive.
The findings add pressure on X’s moderation and visibility systems, particularly given prior evidence that widely viewed election falsehoods lacked Community Notes. Advertisers, researchers, and policymakers gain another concrete context for evaluating those systems.

Third-order effects

If crisis-related harassment and conspiracy content repeatedly reaches mass audiences, disaster response will increasingly require information-integrity operations as a core capability rather than a supplementary public-relations task.
The broader governance question is whether platform design and post-by-post community correction can limit fast-moving, high-stakes misinformation before it changes public behavior; this report underscores the gap without establishing the eventual policy response.

The trend: Online platforms are becoming a consequential layer of emergency-response infrastructure, making the reach and governance of crisis misinformation a public-safety issue.

Discussion

@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on threads
I just deleted my Twitter account. I saw a viral pro-H*tler tweet on my timeline with 66,000 likes and 9.5 million views. That was enough for me to ensure my posts don't contribute any value to that garbage dump.
@politico @politico on threads
FEMA's chief says all the conspiracies and rumors around Hurricane Helene are hurting relief and recovery efforts. 👉 politi.co/4ezFDnw (📷 Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
@chrisperkinscepx @chrisperkinscepx on threads
What's a “FEMA kill?” Are they claiming to have killed people working for FEMA? Who are they fighting for their lives? Bears?
@shakerhoward Howard Shaker on threads
Frank Rich: “Silence of @BillAckman striking. He's too busy reposting Musk at Trump rally. Pains me as a Jew to note that some in my faith put tax cuts uber alles.” 👇 Bill Kristol: “The antisemitic swarm attacking the mayor of Asheville, N.C., Esther Manheimer, is really somet…
@steveth72 Steve Thomas on threads
The antisemitic swarm attacking the mayor of Asheville, N.C., Esther Manheimer, is really something, and really repulsive. Once upon a time responsible Christian, conservative, and Republican leaders in the state—maybe even nationally—would have denounced it.
@willoremus Will Oremus on threads
New: Federal, state and local officials leading the Hurricane Helene relief efforts are facing vicious antisemitic online hate and threats, fueled on Elon Musk's X, where anti-Jewish conspiracy posts are racking up tens of millions of views. Gift link: https://wapo.st/4eQKjFd (w…
@willoremus Will Oremus on threads
There's always bad stuff on the internet if you look for it, but I have to admit I didn't really grasp the extent to which literal, full-on pro-Nazi, pro-Hitler, and explicitly racist and antisemitic content is now genuinely popular and flourishing on X until I started reporting …
@heidilifeldman@mastodon.social Heidi Li Feldman on mastodon
This is foul. “Top officials in North Carolina and at [FEMA] responding to Helene are being subjected to ... antisemitic attacks, causing some of them to fear for their safety.... The attacks, which include wild claims that Jewish officials are conspiring to orchestrate the disa…
@LiamOMaraIV@mastodon.social Liam O'Mara IV, PhD on mastodon
It is unclear how many of the #neofascist morons liking her post really believe the Democrats control the weather, but the idiot #antisemite behind the ‘Jewish-Space-Lasers-cause-wildfires’ halfwit lie has said Hurricane #Helene was caused by the government to steal resources. —…
@jkingy.bsky.social Jennie King on bluesky
Antisemitic attacks have directly targeted officials involved in hurricane response, including: — The Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina; — FEMA's Director of Public Affairs, Jaclyn Rotherberg; — DHS Secretary of State, Alejando Mayorkas. — These collectively garnered 17.1m …
@mike_senters @mike_senters on x
I'm really worried about how bad the conspiracy theories surrounding the new hurricane will be. Doesn't help that we have setting representatives pushing “they” control the weather narratives. Terrible stuff.
@chiefchimpanzee Darshan Sanghrajka on x
This world is absolutely fucked. Even the hurricanes are now facing a culture war. Utterly mad.
@naomiaklein Naomi Klein on x
Conspiracy is the new climate denial: “Hurricane Helene brews up storm of online falsehoods and threats” https://www.isdglobal.org/...
@isdglobal @isdglobal on x
New ISD research shows North Carolina officials and FEMA reps responding to Hurricane Helene are being targeted by antisemitic disinformation, raising safety concerns as they prepare for another hurricane. Check out the @washingtonpost's coverage of it. https://www.washingtonpost…
@stephstradley Stephanie Stradley on x
I've been an online public person for many storms and hurricanes. It's a gulf coast thing. It's helped my family prepare in advance, know whether to hunker down or leave, know how to get help, and helped raise legit money to help people. Social media saved lives in a
@jaredlholt Jared Holt on x
If it seems lies about Hurricane Helene are everywhere, that's because they are. New research from ISD found that the hurricane has been a storm for online hate and misinformation. With another storm on the way, the chaos is likely to continue. https://www.isdglobal.org/...
@macfarlanenews Scott MacFarlane on x
NEW: Amid torrent of misinformation about Hurricane Helene, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) issues letter to debunk myths - “Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock” - “Nobody can control the weather” [image]
@socdoneleft @socdoneleft on x
“hurricane Helene was so destructive because the mayor of Asheville is Jewish” 48,000 likes on this completely braindead Nazi slop [image]
@jennysplitter Jenny Splitter on x
I know we control the media as well as the weather (phew, so tired), but most coverage of misinfo related to Helene that I've seen does NOT mention its antisemitic nature nor the harassment of Jewish employees at FEMA. WaPo included it today however: https://www.washingtonpost.co…
@kareemrifai Kareem Rifai on x
I know this point has been made a million times, but the old Twitter algorithm would not feed me nonsensical antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Jewish mayor of Asheville purposefully making Hurricane Helene hit her own city. [image]
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Gift link to our story today about how antisemitic conspiracy theories about Hurricane Helene are flourishing on X, where they're going mostly unmoderated and reaching huge audiences. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... w/ @maxinejoselow
@digiphile Alex Howard on x
This true — but the @washingtonpost story doesn't dig into how Musk's changes have not just removed disincentives or capacity to enforce policies, but how they have incented people to share lies, rumors, & conspiracies through monetization of pay-to-play “paychecks”. The
@digiphile Alex Howard on x
The inability or unwillingness of online platforms like @X to disincent the spread of lies & hate has created a “perfect storm of weather-related disinformation & conspiracy theories intertwining with anti-government paranoia and antisemitic rhetoric.”-@acarvin “What's
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
New: Federal, state and local officials leading the Hurricane Helene relief efforts are facing vicious antisemitic online hate and threats, fueled on X, where anti-Jewish conspiracy posts are racking up tens of millions of views. [image]
r/Twitter r on reddit
Officials face antisemitic attacks over Hurricane Helene response | Report finds Elon Musk's X is fueling conspiracy theories …
@themontgomery.bsky.social @themontgomery.bsky.social on bluesky
It says at least *something* that they're sufficiently tech-savvy to know the only tractable Google results anymore are found with “+reddit” [embedded post]
@sorenspicknall.bsky.social Soren Spicknall on bluesky
Launch official White House Reddit account, immediately have the quintessential Reddit beginner experience [embedded post]
@dell-adams.bsky.social Dell Adams on bluesky
And the mods at r/Georgia removed a post of theirs detailing what FEMA is doing and what aid is available
@megancoyne46 Megan Coyne on x
As a big Reddit fan, I'm so excited we launched a White House account on the platform today! Meeting more people where they are to get out critical information about the work this Administration is doing 🫡 (With a perfect first comment from this Redditor on our first post) [image…
@reddit @reddit on x
Welcome to Reddit, @WhiteHouse 🫡 https://www.reddit.com/... via u/whitehouse [image]
@cnliberalism @cnliberalism on x
Time for Yellen to do an AMA in r/neoliberal under the @WhiteHouse account.
@benjysarlin Benjy Sarlin on x
Finally we can get lifesaving information to Redditors before some anonymous mod decides it violates the proper format requirements of /r/hurricanes
@txnewsprincess @txnewsprincess on x
The R/Dallas mods will ban it within two days.
@whcommsdir Ben LaBolt on x
👇. Another platform to reach Americans with essential information.
@hadas_gold Hadas Gold on x
sort of shocked they didn't already have one?
@liahaberman Lia Haberman on x
LinkedIn ☑️ Reddit ☑️ If the White House joins Roblox, they've won 2024 social media bingo
@elizlanders Elizabeth Landers on x
The @WhiteHouse is launching a Reddit account. The goal: keeping the public informed on Hurricane Helen/Milton response, recovery & preparedness. They will also be sharing info on state-based sub-Reddits, & larger sub-Reddits like r/politics, where they can correct misinfo
r/pics r on reddit
President Biden holds a briefing on Hurricane Milton preparation and Hurricane Helene response.
r/Georgia r on reddit
Quick Update on the Biden-Harris Administration's Response to Hurricane Helene.
r/technology r on reddit
The White House joins Reddit and shares hurricane information
r/NorthCarolina r on reddit
Quick Update on the Biden-Harris Administration's Response to Hurricane Helene.
r/politics r on reddit
The White House joins Reddit and shares hurricane information

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