<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A wood block print of people holding dolls next to a devil" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw – 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="336706" data-permalink="https://www.mississippifreepress.org/printing-press_wellcome-collection-wikimedia-commons/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?fit=2000%2C1333&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="

An illustration from “The History of Witches and Wizards,” published in 1720, depicting witches offering wax dolls to the devil. Wellcome Collection/Wikimedia Commons

” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/printing-press_Wellcome-Collection-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ />

Julie Walsh writes how modern-day misinformation found on social media holds a stark parallel to 15th to 17th century witchcraft hysteria. 

The post Opinion | Yesterday’s Witch Hunts and Today’s Misinformation Crisis Have Much in Common appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.