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Democracy is fragile and we should be angry at people who are careless of it - people who distort facts, encourage conspiracy theories, or rely on bluster and bullshit when we need hard information. Even when those people run the country. Thread ▼ (1/8)
I'm proud to lead @FullFact and I want to share some of my colleagues' important work that can help make sense of what we're seeing in the UK and around the world (2/8)
QAnon - a "sprawling US conspiracy theory" - is one of the driving forces behind the mob in Washington. @RachaelKrishna showed how in 2020 "UK-based users began almost unconsciously parroting Q phrases and slogans" https://fullfact.org/online/qanon-uk-2020/ (3/8)
As the pandemic hit, readers continually asked if there was enough Personal Protective Equipment. The problem? Nobody really knew. By @abbas_panjwani: "authorities did not have timely accurate information about the true PPE supply levels" https://fullfact.org/health/ppe-shortages-first-wave/ (4/8)
Serious choices need serious scrutiny, and there are few more serious than the "extreme and unusual" lockdowns. @leobenedictus found a familiar disease in that debate - claims "often expressed with overconfidence, or without vital context" https://fullfact.org/health/can-we-believe-lockdown-sceptics/ (5/8)
Tackling misinformation at internet scale is profoundly complex. The Challenges of Online Fact Checking is a vital report by @PhoebeArnie with fact checking experts around the world contributing. Internet companies need to listen. https://fullfact.org/blog/2020/dec/the-challenges-of-online-fact-checking-how-technology-can-and-cant-help/ (6/8)
@FullFact set out ten yrs ago to cut significantly the prevalence of misrepresentation,
evasion, biased selection, bluffing, exaggeration, oversimplification, distortion and
sometimes creation of facts by political elites at the expense of the ordinary citizen. We fight on. (7/8)
evasion, biased selection, bluffing, exaggeration, oversimplification, distortion and
sometimes creation of facts by political elites at the expense of the ordinary citizen. We fight on. (7/8)
We must expect more of ourselves in a democracy, and we must expect more of people with power and responsibility. Every day @FullFact and the thousands of people who support us fight to keep our democracy grounded in reality. Join us: http://fullfact.org/donate (8/8)
