The disinformation correspondent from BBC News was just caught creating fake accounts on social media, supposedly to expose “disinformation” for potential censorship online. And leftist CBSNews.com appeared fascinated by her efforts.
BBC reporter Marianna Spring announced with glee in a propaganda-laced tweet in August that the BBC promoted her to be its “first Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent!” More recently, her job apparently involved creating fake social media accounts to uncover alleged “disinformation” online.
CBS acknowledged there were potential ethical concerns with Spring’s project, but quickly cited Spring’s claim that her project was more important than avoiding deception.
CBS said Spring created social media accounts for five fake Americans on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-tied TikTok. These faux users included “Larry, a 71-year-old retired insurance broker and Donald Trump fan from Alabama,” and Emma, “a lesbian who follows LGBTQ groups, is an atheist, takes an active interest in women's issues and abortion rights, supports the legalization of marijuana and follows The New York Times and NPR.”
Besides these stereotype “users,” Spring fabricated “Britney, a more populist conservative from Texas; Gabriela, a largely apolitical independent from Miami; and Michael, a Black teacher from Milwaukee who's a moderate Democrat.” Spring “uses five different phones labeled with each name,” CBS reported.
These “traits” are “bait” for platform algorithms, CBS explained. Pew Research Center reportedly helped Spring create the fake personae.
CBS wrote that “Britney” was “anti-vax and critical of big business” (the horror!). The account supposedly drew “violent rhetoric,” but CBS’s only example of this alleged violence was…“claiming Donald Trump won the 2020 election.” CBS also balked at content saying the FBI raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home was proof “the state was out to get him.” Because raiding Melania Trump’s closet for no reason would not support that theory…
Non-politically-aligned “Gabriela” was more likely to receive “Republican-aligned material” in her feed than not, CBS mourned.
While most social media platforms ban impersonator accounts, the “U.S. is the key battleground” of alleged disinformation, CBS cited Spring saying, justifying her fake accounts. “We're doing it with very good intentions.”
What’s that old saying about the paving of the road to Hell?
Spring has a history of open leftist bias. In a November 2020 tweet, she cast former President Barack Obama as an unbiased arbiter of truth, able to discern “crazy conspiracy theories” from fact online.
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