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Connections
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Connections

Why do conspiracy theories spread so quickly?

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published July 20, 2026 at 2:17 PM EDT
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Mari Tsuchiya
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WXXI News
Kyle Green with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, July 20, 2026
WXXI News

When we recently learned that Senator Lindsey Graham had died and that Senator Mitch McConnell was having health problems, conspiracy theories flourished online: Maybe Senator Graham had been targeted by the Kremlin; maybe Senator McConnell had died, and his death was being hidden.

Why do conspiracy theories spread so quickly in modern culture? We explore that question with our guest.

In studio:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams