Headline after headline drive a narrative, what we all think we know about what's happening in our own country or another is usually just the Avaliably Heuristic of what we recall from headlines.
Inventing claims discredit real issues. Telling fantasy stories about how evil The Other is like this actor has done isn't fighting against hate. It is hate and it stokes hate.
Sadly many in the major media outlets and in politics are happy to stoke hate like this a people divided is easier to gain power over.
Headline : Smollett staged attack because he was "dissatisfied with his salary,"
https://www.cnn.com/entertainment/live-news/jussie-smollett-arrested-chicago/index.html