“In just days, a bizarre and baseless claim accusing Haitian migrants of eating pet cats in Springfield, Ohio, went from an obscure Facebook post in a private group to a talking point by Republican Donald Trump during Tuesday night’s presidential debate,” Newsguard reports.
“The journey of the viral claim from vague, third hand gossip among Ohio neighbors to the presidential debate stage — where it was broadcast to 67 million people — is as stunning as the claim itself, according to those who started it all…”
“The interviews reveal just how flimsy and unsubstantiated the rumor was from the beginning — based entirely on third hand hearsay.
Yet it quickly gained traction and, remarkably, found its way to Trump’s lips on a national stage.”