The news website accused of fuelling riots
Channel3Now has been implicated in spreading misinformation about a Southport attack, contributing to riots. The site, a commercial news aggregator, denies links to Russian disinformation despite ongoing regulatory challenges.
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Channel3Now, a news website, has been implicated in spreading misinformation that contributed to riots in Southport and other UK cities. The site incorrectly reported the name of a 17-year-old charged in connection with the Southport attack and falsely suggested he was an asylum seeker. This misinformation, along with unverified claims about the attacker's religion, fueled public unrest, including violence against mosques. Investigations revealed that Channel3Now operates as a commercial entity focused on aggregating crime news for profit, with a team spread across the US, UK, Pakistan, and India. The site has publicly apologized for the inaccuracies but has faced accusations of being linked to Russian disinformation efforts, which it denies. The false claims were amplified by various social media accounts, some of which have a history of spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation. Despite the backlash, the site continues to operate, and its social media presence remains largely intact, as platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have fewer restrictions on misinformation compared to others. The situation highlights the challenges of regulating disinformation online, especially with the recent changes in social media policies that allow for monetization of viral content, regardless of its accuracy.
- Channel3Now spread misinformation about the Southport attack, contributing to riots.
- The site operates as a commercial news aggregator with a global team.
- False claims were amplified by social media accounts with histories of disinformation.
- The site denies any links to Russian disinformation efforts.
- Regulatory challenges persist in managing online misinformation effectively.
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1 commentsFor investigators - the police have said those posting false information online will “face justice” - this is a real problem. If you repeat something earnestly believing that it is true because you believe your source, are you guilty of a crime simply because you were the first one to post it in public?
The amount of reverse ferreting going on in press and with some of these groups is astonishing though. I only hope everyone learns something from it.
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