Phan, Karena. “Viral Video Shows Flamethrower-Wielding Missouri State Senators Burning Empty Boxes, Not Books.” AP News, AP News, 25 Sept. 2023, apnews.com/article/fact-check-false-flamethrower-missouri-senators-books-ban-186453919126.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-false-flamethrower-missouri-senators-books-ban-186453919126

The article falsely reports of two lawmakers burning books with flamethrowers. This headline can be very triggering due to the act of burning books being a common tactic used in totalitarian governments. In reality the politicians were at a GOP fundraiser in which they were demonstrating two flame-throwers that were being auctioned. The article uses the randomness and the lack of context around the video to create a false narrative.