The New York Times reported on a conservative activist’s “superdiarrhea.”
No, this isn’t a real New York Times headline about a conservative activist’s illness
If your time is short
- This image has been altered to look like a real New York Times story, but it isn’t.
In April, The New York Times published a story about Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist in Washington state “who probably more than any other person made critical race theory a rallying cry on the right.”
The headline read, “He fuels the right’s cultural fires (and spreads them to Florida),” a reference to his support for a new Florida law prohibiting some teachers from discussing L.G.B.T.Q. issues with students.
The subheadline explains: “Christopher Rufo helped make critical race theory a conservative rallying cry. Now he sees L.G.B.T.Q. issues as an even more potent line of attack.”
There’s also a portrait of Rufo standing on a beach with his thumbs hooked in his pockets.
That same picture appeared in another supposed New York Times story that’s spreading on social media. In what looks like a screenshot from the newspaper’s website, the headline says: “He was one of the right’s most outspoken leaders. Then he got sick.”
The subheadline explains: “Christopher Rufo helped make critical race theory a conservative rallying cry. An unusual case of recurring ‘superdiarrhea’ put a sudden stop to his activism.”
An Instagram post sharing this image flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
This isn’t a real New York Times story. The image is doctored.
Looking online, we couldn’t find any credible reporting on this supposed sickness, much less on the Times’ website. He most recently appeared in a July Times story about “the vanishing moderate Democrat,” but not because of his health. Rather, the paper said that “he has attacked Democrats for, he charged, attempting to indoctrinate school children with ‘trans ideology.’”
He is active on Twitter, taking issue with a quote in a recent New York magazine story published on July 14 that declared “the right’s boy wonder finds a new cause.”
We rate claims that this is a real New York Times story False.
Our Sources
Instagram post (archived), July 21, 2022
Christopher Rufo’s Twitter account, visited July 22, 2022
New York magazine, Christopher Rufo foments a school-rape panic, July 14, 2022
Fox News, Christopher Rufo boasts of victory with NY Mag correction, spars with writer on Twitter: ‘Very embarrassing," July 14, 2022
New York Times, The vanishing moderate Democrat, July 1, 2022
New York Times, He fuels the right’s cultural fires (and spreads them to Florida), April 24, 2022
