The Download: How to survive a conspiracy theory, and moldy cities

—Mike Rothschild is a journalist and an expert on the growth and impact of conspiracy theories and disinformation.

It’s something of a familiar cycle by now: Tragedy hits; rampant misinformation and conspiracy theories follow. It’s often even more acute in the case of a natural disaster, when conspiracy theories about what “really” caused the calamity run right into culture-war-driven climate change denialism. Put together, these theories obscure real causes while elevating fake ones.

I’ve…