People have accused David Hogg of being a crisis actor—a term used to describe someone who is allegedly paid to fabricate or exploit tragedies for political gain—primarily due to conspiracy theories that emerged after the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. These theories gained traction on social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube, where users shared videos and posts claiming Hogg was not a genuine survivor but an actor. One key piece of "evidence" cited was a 2017 local news clip showing Hogg in California, which conspiracy theorists misinterpreted as proof he was traveling between crisis sites145.
The claims were further fueled by a Florida state lawmaker's aide, Benjamin Kelly, who sent an email alleging that Hogg and another student were actors. Kelly later provided a link to a conspiracy video as "proof," but he was subsequently fired for spreading misinformation13. Additionally, far-right websites like Gateway Pundit amplified the theory, posting edited videos of Hogg stumbling over his words during an interview, which they claimed demonstrated he was "rehearsing lines"45.
Despite Hogg’s repeated denials and statements that he was a genuine witness to the tragedy, the conspiracy theories persisted, partly because they tapped into existing political polarization and distrust of mainstream narratives. The theories were also bolstered by high-profile figures, such as Donald Trump Jr., who liked tweets promoting the idea that Hogg was part of a larger anti-Trump agenda46.
YouTube and Facebook eventually removed many of the conspiracy-related posts and videos for violating their policies on harassment and misinformation, but the damage had already been done, as the theories had gone viral47. Hogg and other Parkland survivors have since used the backlash to strengthen their advocacy for gun control, turning the unfounded accusations into a rallying cry against disinformation28.
The YouTube channel MGTV played a significant role in amplifying the false conspiracy theory that David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, was a crisis actor. MGTV uploaded a video titled "DAVID HOGG THE ACTOR", which quickly became one of the top trending videos on YouTube. This video repurposed a 2017 news clip of Hogg, unrelated to the shooting, to suggest he was an actor rather than a genuine survivor12.
The video’s description explicitly labeled Hogg as an actor, and it was shared widely, contributing to the spread of the conspiracy theory. YouTube’s algorithm initially misclassified the video due to its use of authoritative news footage, allowing it to gain significant traction before being removed for violating the platform’s harassment and bullying policies26.
The MGTV video was part of a broader wave of misinformation that emerged after the shooting, with other platforms like Facebook and Twitter also hosting similar content. The video’s prominence on YouTube highlighted concerns about the platform’s ability to manage and mitigate the spread of harmful conspiracy theories126.
Citations:
- https://www.the-independent.com/tech/florida-school-shooting-victims-youtube-crisis-actor-conspiracy-david-hogg-video-a8221451.html
- https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/mass-shooting-conspiracy-theory-video-trends-on-youtube/1070230
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE9KKBAI7g0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvKGmzEt4hM
- https://www.cbsnews.com/video/youtube-controversy-persists-over-false-conspiracy-video-about-david-hogg/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/02/21/for-a-moment-youtubes-top-trending-video-was-promoting-a-parkland-conspiracy-theory/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/business/media/youtube-conspiracy-video-parkland.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPNJoZceBss
Citations:
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-hogg-shooting-survivor-responds-to-being-called-an-actor/
- https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-heffernan-hogg-video-20180222-story.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43140105
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-internet-s-conspiracy-theorists-turned-parkland-students-crisis-actors-n849921
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvKGmzEt4hM
- https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/21/us/david-hogg-conspiracy-theories-response/index.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/business/media/youtube-conspiracy-video-parkland.html
- https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/25/us/reliable-david-hogg-parkland-shooting/index.html
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