Quinlan Forrest / March 27, 2026 / MCO 427
9:30 a.m. — Wake up and go on YouTube and watch “The Red Thread“ by The Official Channel. The specific episode is about Raëlism, a new age UFO religion that is often described as a cult. I watched about half of the three-hour-long video.
10:00 a.m. — Make coffee and oatmeal with honey and cinnamon. I would eat my breakfast while scrolling through Instagram. I was mostly messaging friends and sending them memes. Some posts I encountered discussed the Iran war and suggested that President Trump initiated the conflict to divert attention from the Epstein files. People were calling it “Operation Epstein Fury.” While this theory is technically possible, there is no definitive evidence.
12:00 a.m. — Sit down and scroll through Twitter, and I see a post titled “It’s not just Gaza: Israel is also committing genocide in the West Bank,” by The Nation. The article’s author, Ahmad Ibsais, believes that Israel is committing genocide in the West Bank. He points to killings, forced displacement, sexual violence, and the creation of conditions to make life nearly impossible for Palestinians. I read the full article.
It's not just Gaza: Israel is also committing genocide in the West Bank, writes @AIbsais.https://t.co/QfrVU7Y5vV
— The Nation (@thenation) March 26, 2026
4:00 p.m.— Browse Twitter, and see a post about a propane tank explosion in Toronto on the roof of a large building. RTN Toronto, an online news platform dedicated to “Toronto content,” made the post. Multiple commenters speculated that the explosion was a terrorist attack, possibly by Iran, or it was a false-flag attack by Mossad agents. Neither claim is supported by evidence, and while it’s uncommon, there are various ways a propane tank can ignite and explode without human intervention. I moved on and read some emails.
#BREAKING: Explosion in Queen St, West pic.twitter.com/HgjCitDRVr
— RTN (@RTNToronto) March 27, 2026
5:40 p.m. — While scrolling Instagram reels, I see a post about a man named “Palm Beach Pete.” His real name is Pete Simel, and he has an uncanny resemblance to Jeffrey Epstein, and this has made conspiracy theories speculate that Simel is Epstein in disguise. For their “evidence,” they point out the resemblance and the fact that both Simel and Epstein lived in Palm Beach, Florida. It ties into the conspiracy theory that Epstein faked his death. There’s absolutely no evidence that Simel is Jefferey Epstein.
6:00 p.m. — My sister sends me a meme post on Instagram about the online “celebrity” known as Clavicular, Braden Eric Peters, being arrested in Florida, and the author of the post, kbtheginger, makes fun of Clavicular for being 5 feet 11 inches. A post from a comedy page on Instagram is not a reliable source; however, in this case, some of the information turned out to be true. Clavicular was arrested in Florida on battery charges.
This detail, however, might be wrong. The details of his arrest were removed from the Fort Lauderdale Sheriff’s Department website. However, by using the Wayback Machine, it reveals that his arrest records list his height as 6 feet 1 inch. I liked the post, despite the information about his height being wrong. It was still funny.
11:00 p.m.—Watch YouTube video titled “Trump PANIC DELAYS Iranian Attack As Markets Tumble,” by Breaking Points. The video is about President Trump’s 10-day extension regarding a deadline for attacking Iran’s power infrastructure and how his actions might be influenced by market conditions. The video insinuates that because of higher-than-normal bond yields and increasing crude oil prices. Despite the clickbait headline, Breaking Points is led by seasoned journalists such as Ryan Grim, Emily Jashinsky, and Crystal Ball. Liked the video and moved on.
Reflection
As a journalist with a Gen Z background, I’m glued to online media. The sources I rely on for information primarily come from Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, which is not surprising, given that many people my age do the same. I noticed that I mostly get my information from left-wing sources, which aligns with me politically. But I do like Breaking Points, as the two main hosts are politically different. Crystal Ball is a democratic socialist, and Saagar Enjeti is a populist conservative. I feel that media like this helps me get out of the echo chambers that are all too common online.