Anna Merlan > Quotes

“Truth and fact-checking travel along the same paths that conspiracies do. But the truth is often complicated, shaded and demanding, and there's no denying that it often lacks the powerful, emotional, gut level appeal of a conspiracy.”
― Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power

“Basically," he said, "it's black people who scare them.”
― Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power

“In January 2016, I spent the longest, queasiest week of my life on a cruise ship filled with conspiracy theorists. As our boat rattled toward Mexico and back, I heard about every wild plot, secret plan, and dark cover-up imaginable. It was mostly fascinating, occasionally exasperating, and the cause of a headache that took months to fade. To my pleasant surprise, given that I was a reporter traveling among a group of deeply suspicious people, I was accused only once of working for the CIA.”
― Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power

“Irma made landfall soon after, creating a path of chaos and destruction that was all too real.”
― Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power

“A weird thing about being black is some of it is true and some of it is not," Michael Harriot told me reflectively. "But," he said, "none of it is crazy.”
― Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power