If there’s one thing the modern fandom ecosystem has perfected, it’s the art of almost telling the truth.

Welcome to the Scooper Grift Economy… a place where facts are optional, “sources” are imaginary, and engagement is king.

These websites and YouTubers don’t break news… they break reality, one half truth at a time.

And the worst part? It usually works.

The Grift Playbook | Take a Real Story… Then Twist It Into Fantasy

Cosmic Book News Image

After Snyder’s Projects are all Cancelled at NETFLIX Cosmic Book News decides to state it’s because he is “EXITING” to Restore the SnyderVerse.

Let’s start with one of the newest and now most consistent offenders > Cosmic Book News.

This week, Forbes published a legitimate, well-reported piece about Zack Snyder’s struggles at Netflix which it included the revelation of multiple projects being cancelled, a police drama that never got traction, and analysts noting that Snyder’s creative partnership did not deliver the results Netflix wanted.

That’s the real story.

However, Cosmic Book News took that and decided to twist it doing what grifters do best

Pulled one factual thread
Wrapped it in fan bait wish fulfillment
Dumped it into a headline that hits the dopamine centers of SnyderVerse diehards

Their rewrite? “This PROVES Snyder Is Returning to DC to Restore the SnyderVerse.”

No evidence.
No quotes.
No sources.
Just pure narrative shaping designed to juice clicks, farm engagement, and keep their followers addicted to the idea that any day now, the SnyderVerse will rise like a phoenix…again.

This is the heart of the scooper grift!

Take a partial truth -> attach a made up conclusion -> present it as “insider” knowledge.

It’s not journalism. It’s not commentary. It’s content farming wrapped in confidence.

Why They Do It | Engagement > Accuracy

The modern grifter economy runs on three things specifically.

Rage clicks
False hope
Para social trust

Telling fans something realistic doesn’t get engagement. But! Telling fans something they desperately want to believe absolutely does.

So scoopers will build a fantasy world where

Every franchise is secretly collapsing (SUPERMAN Flopped)
Every director is secretly returning (Snyder Exits Netflix to Restore SnyderVerse)
Every studio executive is secretly fired tomorrow (Gunn will be Removed from DCU)
Every rumor is secretly confirmed off screen by “my sources” (My insider tells me…)

And the cycle continues.

Other Classic Scooper Grifts (Oh Yes, I’m Naming Names)

1. Doomcock’s “Lucasfilm Civil War” That Never Ends

For six years now (yes… years), Doomcock has claimed

Kathleen Kennedy is fired next month
Jon Favreau is taking over
Filoni already has control
Dave & Jon are secretly erasing the sequel trilogy

Every claim is always “90% confirmed,” and every deadline comes and goes without a single prediction landing.

It’s not news because it’s a long running fanfiction of sorts. Why people still believe it is beyond me.

2. Reddit “Leakers” Who Change Their Story Weekly

Reddit has entire communities dedicated to “plot leaks” that coincide exactly with what fans want at the time

“Wanda is the villain!” -> then Marvel shifts direction -> suddenly… “Actually Doom is the villain.”
“Spider-Man 4 filming in March!” -> March arrives -> “Actually my source meant next March.”

No accountability. No verification. Just rewriting the timeline to maintain clout.

3. Twitter/X “Insider” Accounts That Only Tweet What Already Happened

Then there are the accounts that literally wait for THR, Variety or Deadline to break news, then tweet

“As I reported weeks ago…”

…despite never mentioning it before.

People fall for it because confidence equals credibility on the internet.

4. “If True, This Is Huge” Content

Finally, The ultimate scam… Say something insane, hedge with a conditional, and pretend it counts as journalism.

“If true, Henry Cavill already filmed scenes.”

“If true, Disney is rebooting Star Wars.”

“If true, Affleck signed on for Justice League 2.”

“If true” essentially equals “I made this up but don’t want legal trouble.”

Why Partial Truths Work So Well

The real trick isn’t lying… well lying completely. It’s giving just enough truth to camouflage the lie.

Snyder had projects cancelled?
True.

This is proof he’s returning to DC?
Fabricated nonsense.

Marvel having delays?
True.

Kevin Feige on the verge of being fired?
False.

DC being sold potentially?
True.

“Restore the SnyderVerse talks have already begun”?
Fantasy role-play.

The grifters survive because they hide their fiction inside facts. Eventually people catch on, but usually when it is too late. Yet somehow the cycle always comes back around with a new and more neurotic outlet.

The Real Danger | They Shape Fandom Narratives

The problem isn’t that scoopers exist, because the real ones who report true facts are sometimes a necessary evil.

The problem is that fans who don’t follow legitimate reporting will get swept into a narrative constructed purely for engagement.

It creates

False expectations
Harassment campaigns
Fan hostility when reality doesn’t match the fantasy
Online wars over things that were never real to begin with

And the cycle only ends when people stop rewarding the grift.

Reality is, scooper/grifters don’t care about truth all they truly care about is the traffic to their social page or website. They’re not insiders don’t be fooled by these entertainers playing the role of insiders.

Because as long as fans keep mistaking confidence for credibility, these parasitic ecosystems will keep thriving.

You deserve better than half truths padded with agenda driven fiction.

That’s why commentary outlets (yes, like Slav’s Free Talk) matters.

You call it out, you contextualize it, and you treat fans like adults… not marks to be milked for clicks.

How Scooper/Grifters Trick Fans With Half-Truths, Fake “Leaks,” and Manufactured Hype