DNC 'surprise' that wasn't: How the media helped spread totally fake rumors about Beyoncé, Taylor Swift

DNC 'surprise' that wasn't: How the media helped spread totally fake rumors about Beyoncé, Taylor Swift * WorldNetDaily * by Robert Schmad, Daily Caller News Foundation

Speculation is the Democrats knew they couldn't fill seats otherwise

WorldNetDaily

By Robert Schmad

At 1:07 p.m. EDT on Thursday “That Gay Guy Candle Co” posted to social media claiming that the Democratic National Convention (DNC) would have a surprise speaker, becoming one of the first large social media accounts to amplify rumors that later developed into two mainstream outlets publishing false reports.

After That Gay Guy Candle Co made their since-deleted X post referencing a CNN reporter on a possible surprise event, several other large liberal accounts began to spread the rumors, according to posts reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The saga culminated in TMZ and The Hill incorrectly reporting that Beyoncé would perform at the convention, which never materialized.

“Angry Staffer,” an anonymous account with around 600,000 followers, hinted in a post made at 1:28 p.m. EDT that they’d been clued into a “surprise” bigger than Oprah Winfrey speaking at the DNC the night before.

Brian Krassenstein, a well-known online critic of former President Donald Trump with a following nearing 860,000, claimed at 1:45 p.m. EDT that he had been told about a “major surprise” at the DNC.

After Beyoncé didn’t show up, the Angry Staffer account said that “the people who told me aren’t prone to hyperbole” and apologized for posting false information. It speculated that the false rumor could have been a ploy by the DNC to increase ratings, but expressed some doubt about the possibility.

Angry Staffer said it made them “feel better” that mainstream media outlets also reported the false rumor.

“Beyoncé is in Chicago, and getting ready to pop out for Kamala Harris on the final night of the Democratic National Convention … TMZ has learned,” the outlet reported at 4:49 p.m. EDT, citing multiple sources. The Hill, citing two sources, incorrectly reported that the music superstar would perform. One of the sources had reported seeing Beyoncé in Chicago, the outlet wrote after it became apparent that Beyoncé would not be making an appearance.

A representative for the singer later said that she was never scheduled to be there and that the reports of a performance were false, according to a story published by The Hollywood Reporter at 7:01 p.m. EDT…