NPR (AUDIO): How documentary-style films turn conspiracy theories into a call to action

In Georgia this summer, a fake wanted poster falsely identified a woman as a so-called ballot mule.

In Arizona, voters dropping off their ballots complained about being photographed and filmed, in some cases by people carrying weapons.

The incidents appear inspired by a film, “2,000 Mules,” that spins a wild tale of how the 2020 election was supposedly stolen from Donald Trump. At its heart is a conspiracy theory claiming Democratic groups are colluding with paid operatives – the titular “mules” – to stuff ballot drop boxes with fraudulent votes.

There’s no evidence for any of this. The film, which is directed by right-wing commentator Dinesh D’Souza and relies on data and analysis from controversial election group True the Vote, has been thoroughly, and repeatedly, debunked by fact-checkers and rejected by law enforcement.

But the film is the latest in a long line of movies that use the tropes and signifiers of documentaries to gain credibility. In recent years, documentary style films about the 2020 election, the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines have spread conspiracy theories and recycled debunked lies. …

And now, some are mobilizing around its false claims – raising concerns over voter intimidation in the final days before the midterms.

“What we’re seeing now is a trend towards policing other people’s voting behavior,” said Emma Steiner, a disinformation analyst at the nonpartisan group Common Cause. “It’s basically an endless template for taking a picture of someone or a video and saying, ‘Oh, actually what they’re doing here is criminal and you can trust me on this, and we need to find out who this person is and report them to the authorities.'” …

But while mainstream documentaries like Knappenberger’s aim to bring a true story to a wider audience, Common Cause’s Steiner said “2,000 Mules” serves a different purpose. It gives people who’ve already bought into the fiction of election fraud a satisfying story – and a way to participate.

“People feel like, I can do my part by watching this movie, keeping an eye out for these ballot mules and attempting to ensure that these people are not voting where I’m voting,” she said.