NPR

Far-Right Misinformation Is Thriving On Facebook. A New Study Shows Just How Much

Research from New York University found that far-right accounts known for spreading misinformation drive engagement at higher rates than other news sources.

Updated at 8:35 p.m. ET

By the time a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, fueled by far-right conspiracies and lies about a stolen election, a group of researchers at New York University had been compiling Facebook engagement data for months.

The NYU-based group, Cybersecurity For Democracy, was studying online misinformation — wanting to know how

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