truthers
Official story skeptics
Truthers are people who reject official explanations of major events, believing instead in conspiracy theories—particularly that governments or powerful institutions are hiding the real story.
The term gained prominence with 9/11 truthers, who dispute the established account of the 2001 attacks: The truthers insisted it was an inside job.
The label now extends to other conspiracy movements: COVID truthers, election truthers.
Often used dismissively by those outside the movement.
Explanations based on evidence
- 9/112001 terrorist attacks
- denialismRejection of established facts
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- movementChange in position
believers · claims · allegations · paranoia · delusion · pseudoscience · fringe · alternative
One who doubts claims
- doubtLack of firm belief
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- cynicismDistrust of human sincerity
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
questioning · government · institutions · mainstream · media · officials · experts · authorities
Intentional deceptive falsehoods
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- hoaxesIntentional public deceptions
- liesDeliberate untruths
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
falsehoods · deception · manipulation · debunked · viral · spreading · amplification · grifters
Organized effort toward goal
- movementChange in position
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
- advocacyPleading for a cause
petition · rally · demonstration · protest · march · organizing · mobilization · hashtags
theories
Explanations based on evidence
- 9/112001 terrorist attacks
- denialismRejection of established facts
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
movement · believers · claims · allegations · paranoia · delusion · pseudoscience · fringe · alternative · narratives
skeptic
One who doubts claims
suspicion · questioning · government · institutions · mainstream · media · officials · experts · authorities · establishment
disinformation
Intentional deceptive falsehoods
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- hoaxesIntentional public deceptions
- liesDeliberate untruths
fabrication · falsehoods · deception · manipulation · debunked · viral · spreading · amplification · grifters · influencers
campaign
Organized effort toward goal
- movementChange in position
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
advocacy · petition · rally · demonstration · protest · march · organizing · mobilization · hashtags · documentary
- denialismclimate denial, Holocaust denial, vaccine denial, denialism, anti-science
- fringe believersconspiracy theorists, flat earthers, QAnon, moon landing deniers, election deniers
- Fringe Groupsmilitias, extremists, radicals, separatists, dissidents
- Fringe ideologiesanarchism, extremism, radicalism, fascism, neo-Nazism
- Deniersclimate denier, election denier, moon landing denier, flat earther, anti-vaxxer
truthersconformists
Those obeying social norms
true believers · sheep · normies · apologists · loyalists
truthersdebunkers
Those who discredit falsities
skeptics · fact-checkers · rationalists · critical thinkers · empiricists
- 9/11 trutherOne doubting official accounts