Mission Statement
It might be best to explain the Museum of Conspiracies’ mission first in terms of what it’s not.
First on that list, the Museum is not meant to serve as a credible authority or definitive source for fact-checking the various controversies surrounding particular conspiracy theories. Whether the claims of a popular conspiracy theory in our collection have any relation whatsoever to truth is beside the point (although we’ll try to be reasonably vigilant about not passing along obviously false or disputed factual claims without noting where a controversy exists). That said, in the event an official finding has been rendered on a matter featured in an exhibit, the official findings will be summarized here, so in that sense, the Museum may be of limited use as a point of reference.
Secondly, the Museum is not meant to be a platform for conspiracy theorists or political axe-grinders. The conspiracy theories and historical conspiracies featured here include only those that have been confirmed, or that have achieved significant cultural currency or relevance, and the official editorial policy of the Museum is not to allow political bias to unduly influence the selection process. That doesn’t mean this site can be used as a vehicle for propagating political smears or historical disinformation under pretenses of offering a "balanced perspective." Conspiracy theories of a suspiciously timely, politically opportune, or ephemeral nature (for example, allegations about a candidate in an on-going political contest) will not be featured regardless of how much short-term interest they generate.
Now that we've established what it's not, a few words on what the Museum of Conspiracies’ mission actually is.
The Museum’s one guiding principle is that, whatever else they might be, conspiracies and conspiracy theories are essentially cultural artifacts—products of the intelligence, values and imagination of human beings living in a particular cultural and historical context—and the mission of the Museum is to seek out and catalog representative examples across the full range of varieties these cultural artifacts take.
Our appreciation for these artifacts follows sometimes from what we learn from them, and sometimes from the simple pleasure of discovering and retelling an obscure story that begged to be told again. And that's why this Museum exists. You'll find no hidden agendas here. Or at least, if you do, it's only because they're on display.
