Kelley's Unwarranted Conspiracy Theory

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Unwarranted Conspiracy Theories (UCTs) are defined by Kelley as conspiracy theories that hold the general characteristics of all Conspiracy Theories (see Definitions of ‘Conspiracy Theory’), but have additional aspects that make them unworthy of belief. Extra characteristics that may define a UCT include running “counter to some received, official, or ‘obvious account,’” made up by “nefarious” intentions, “seek to tie together seemingly unrelated events,” based off the idea of “well-guarded” secrets despite perpetrators possibly being “well-known public figures,” and the use of “errant data” (Kelley, 117). It should also be noted that Kelley does not make clear whether all or a number of these characteristics are required to be labeled a UCT.

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