Prominent business and government figures circulated unverified claims about a recent attack on Brown University’s campus, intensifying confusion and reputational risk for the institution. The spread of false or misleading accounts followed the incident and circulated widely on social platforms, outpacing official campus and law-enforcement updates. University officials and campus communicators now face heightened pressure to correct the record and manage community safety messaging while legal and reputational stakes rise. The episode underscores how rapid amplification from high-profile actors can complicate emergency response and student well-being on campus. "Disinformation" here refers to false or misleading information shared in ways that distort public understanding of a real-world event.