A selection of insane viral garbage tweets on the "Epstein Files"

Michael Tracey, a journalist critical of social media misinformation, has highlighted a surge of hysterical and unfounded claims circulating online about the recently released "Epstein Files." In a pointed commentary, Tracey laments how algorithmic feeds amplify "BREAKING NEWS excrement," leading users into a "demented alternate universe" filled with baseless assertions about Jeffrey Epstein's activities.

Tracey singles out podcaster Joe Rogan for dedicating a segment a few days ago to reciting "slop-tweet after slop-tweet," reportedly fed to him by his producer Jamie. Rogan presented these claims as "confirmed, incontrovertible truth" without verification, reaching millions of listeners. Among the assertions was a revival of Whitney Webb's April 28, 2020, prognostication that "thousands of American children" were mass raped, with the atrocity covered up by shadowy forces.

Tracey emphasizes there is "no credible basis whatsoever" for Webb's claim, either in 2020 or now. Despite this, he notes its endorsement by journalist Ryan Grim, who promoted it alongside Webb. When Tracey politely asked Grim for evidence, Grim "struggled to provide a smidgeon of actual evidence."

The controversy has escalated to potential public debate. ZeroHedge approached Tracey about debating Grim on the matter, and Tracey readily agreed, though Grim's response remains pending. Tracey invites readers to contact Grim directly.

Tracey describes his efforts to refute "insane tweets/posts from the past week or two" as a "resoundingly losing battle," given how hysteria generates far more engagement than factual corrections on social media. He warns that such narratives, including extreme fabrications like "dismembered babies boiled in vats of sulfuric acid" covered up by Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, risk driving the "mentally unwell" toward "homicidal mania."

While acknowledging the morbid humor in some misinformation, Tracey argues it's "really not funny anymore," especially as large audiences, including Rogan's, are convinced of unproven mass child rape atrocities with unpunished perpetrators. He compiles these examples as a "smallest of all possible drops in the bucket" to share with "panicked friends or relatives."