A STUDY commissioned by the BBC for a podcast exploring conspiracy theories and misinformation has been found to have spread misinformation itself.
BBC Radio 4 podcast Marianna in Conspiracyland – hosted by specialist disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring – commissioned a study from King’s College London (KCL) looking into the real-world impacts of misinformation.
The survey of 2,274 UK adults aged 18+ online found that one in four people in the UK say they have either taken part in, or would be prepared to take part in, protests or rallies on issues often linked to conspiracy theories.
But KCL then released an addendum to their study, saying: “These estimates for taking part in direct action are based on claimed behaviour in response to the questions as asked.
“They would convert into significantly more protestors than can be the case in reality, and so should be treated with caution. This could be due to false recall, a broader interpretation of "protest", or to the online panel sample and method.”
Focusing on the UK, the podcast also focuses largely on a free newspaper called The Light, which became popular within the UK conspiracy theory movement during the pandemic. Last year, the BBC reported that it prints at least 100,000 copies a month and has more than 18,000 followers on the social media site Telegram.
The BBC-commissioned study found that one in seven (14%) people say they’ve heard of The Light. It also found that among that minority, most say they have read a copy (62%) and helped distribute the paper (51%).
KCL also left a caveat with these results, however. They said: “Similarly, it's important to note estimates of engagement with The Light are based on claimed behaviour, and do not fit with what we know about the paper's likely readership and distribution in reality. False recall could be a factor, as could the online panel sample and method.”
Kings College issued this correction to their survey for the BBC's "Conspiracyland" show, admitting they wildly overestimated conspiracy newspaper "The Light" and the size of "conspiracy" demos. So far "BBC Verify" are ignoring this, er, verification https://t.co/mfDp27iUdn pic.twitter.com/iWVUAD9iz8
— Solomon Hughes (@SolHughesWriter) June 19, 2023
Some took to social media to highlight how this study could be misleading.
Solomon Hughes, a journalist for Private Eye, tweeted: “Kings College issued this correction to their survey for the BBC's "Conspiracyland" show, admitting they wildly overestimated conspiracy newspaper "The Light" and the size of "conspiracy" demos.
“So far "BBC Verify" are ignoring this, er, verification.”
The BBC's anti-misinformation unit commissioned a study which itself spread misinformation. https://t.co/jbt9qCG4nQ
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) June 19, 2023
Journalist Owen Jones also commented: “The BBC's anti-misinformation unit commissioned a study which itself spread misinformation.”
The BBC have been contacted for comment.
