A call for a public inquiry into the impact of media and tech on democracy

We need a concerted effort to clean up political campaigning following the 2019 General Election campaign.

Truth matters in a democracy. It’s a fundamental constituent of trust. It’s critical to effective communication, understanding and decision making.

In the past six weeks, during the General Election campaign in the UK, we’ve witnessed an erosion of trust in institutions and the media. Their very foundations are crumbling.

The Edelman Trust Barometer 2019 reported that trust in Government was 42%. Trust in the media was 37%. It’s not hard to understand why.

The rise of social media and tech platforms in the last decade means that anyone can create and share content. If that content triggers an emotion reaction with its audience it will be quickly shared.

Social media fulfils an unhealthy trait of the human nature that rejects the truth unless it confirms a bias. There’s a contrary trait whereby disinformation that confirms a bias is accepted as fact.

There’s also the issue of an individual’s self-interest and self-preservation. The truth is a tough sell to the public if it’s contrary to personal aspiration.

Broadcast and national media reports on trending topics on social media without analysis. Being first is more important in newsrooms than being factual.

It’s not all bad news. The local media and broadcast media has done a good job in holding political campaigns to account against the wave of disinformation online. But they haven’t been able to hold back the tide.

I’ve bookmarked stories over the last six weeks whenever I’ve spotted a source of misinformation. It has taken me to some dark places. I’ve written up examples of dubious practice on my blog along the way.

In this post I’ve shared sources of misinformation and attempts by organisations to hold political campaigns to account during the election campaign.

There aren’t any easy solutions. This is a vast and complex area. There are at least three areas that I think need urgent investigation.

  • Political campaigning – There’s no penalty for a politician that lies during an election campaign. Call me naive but that’s wrong. The Nolan Principles are an unfashionable set of guidelines for standards in public life. They’re a good start point.

  • Regulation of tech platforms – the big tech platforms have proven themselves unfit to self-police. Facebook Ad Library failed 48 hours before election day. As a minimum tech platforms need to fall under a regulatory authority such as Ofcom during an election.

  • Media literacy – awareness among the public of media manipulation is low. Somehow in the shift from newsprint to newsfeeds we’ve lost the ability to think critically. That needs to change. Grassroots education is the best place to start.

The UK Government failed to act on a Parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee report called Disinformation and ‘Fake News’ in February.

Speaking about the report its chairman Damien Collins said.

"I think we should be looking at emergency legislation to bring our electoral law up to date. At least to establish the basic principles that the same requirements that exist in a poster or a leaflet should exist in an online ad and on Facebook as well,” said Collins.

The new Government urgently needs to launch a public inquiry into the impact of media and tech platforms on the public during election campaigns.

Democracy is at stake.

1. Facebook’s digital doorstep

Facebook has become one of the most influential political sources thanks to targeting and local groups. Its reach in the UK exceeds broadcast media. It’s a potent form of paid, earned and social media that falls outside any regulatory authority. (General Election 2019: Has your local Facebook group been hijacked by politics? BBC Trending)

2. Messaging dissonance

‘Get Brexit done’ was the General Election campaign slogan of the Conservative Party. It’s a response to the impasse in UK politics since the EU Referendum in 2016. Boris Johnson’s intention is that the Withdrawal Agreement will be agreed by Parliament by January 2020 but thereafter there will be extensive negotiations over a trade deal. (Boris Johnson's pledge to get Brexit trade deal in 11 months 'unrealistic' - EU lead negotiatior, Sky News).

3. Poor quality content drives sharing

A series of poorly designed social media posts calling to ‘Get Brexit done’ were shared by both Leave and Remain supporters. The posts were poorly designed. Leavers shared the posts because they supported the message. Remainers shared them and criticised the poor design. The outcome is that the message gained extensive organic social media reach. (Conservatives unlock a surprising reason why people share online, Stephen Waddington).

4. Misinformation shared in Facebook ads

Facebook ads are not subject to fact checking by the platform. Analysis by First Draft found that 88% of Conservative Party ads contain misinformation (Thousands of misleading Conservative ads side-step scrutiny thanks to Facebook policy, First Draft).

5. Ads banned by Google

Google stopped eight Conservative Party Election ads for violating Google’s advertising policy. It bans fake information and ads that link to destinations intended to deceive users. (Google bans eight different Tory election adverts as disinformation concerns mount, The Independent).

6. Politicians dodging media scrutiny

The Prime Minister avoided difficult interviews throughout the General Election campaign notably with BBC journalist Andrew Neil. In the final days of the campaign he dodged an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain by hiding in a fridge. (Piers Morgan brands Boris Johnson a ‘fridge-hider’ after PM takes cover from Good Morning Britain ambush, The Metro).

7. Microphones are always on

There are no safe places during a political campaign. A private telephone call between Labour Health Minister Jon Ashworth and a friend was leaked to a political blog. During the call Mr Ashworth was critical of Labour’s chances in the General Election. (Ashworth civil service machine will move quickly safeguard national security from Corbyn, Guido Fawkes).

8. Public discourse polluted by fake accounts

Bots and fake actors jump into Facebook and Twitter discussions. Their objective is to disrupt and pollute public discourse. They are deleted and often disappear as quickly as they appear. The discussion around the sick child at Leeds General Infirmary was an example. (The Leeds General Infirmary fake news flooding social media explained, Edinburgh Evening News).

9. Journalists get it wrong

Political journalists complete to be first to break a story. They often rely on political party contacts for stories. This can go wrong when they fail to fact check. Both the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg and ITV’s Robert Peston reported a political punch up in Leeds that didn’t happen. They both apologised. (BBC and ITV political editors apologise for false hospital 'punch' claim in tweets, Press Gazette).

10. Leaked documents as a campaign tool

Labour leaked documents in a bid to discredit claims by the Conservative Party. This included a framework for a trade negotiation between the UK and US, and a details of border arrangements with Northern Ireland following Brexit. (Leaked document raises fresh concerns about GB-NI trade after Brexit, BBC News).

11. Video manipulation: political parties

Smart video editing and production can be used to tell whatever story you’d like. The BBC complained to the Conservative Party about a Facebook ad that used edited BBC footage. Three clips of BBC reporters were used to describe the Brexit impasse in Parliament out of context. (BBC complains to Tories over Facebook advert, BBC News).

12. Video manipulation: media

The BBC fell foul of dubious editing when it removed the audio of a Question Time audience laughing at Prime Minister Boris Johnson from news bulleting clips. Mr Johnson was asked how important is it for someone in your position of power to always tell the truth? (BBC admits 'mistake' in editing out laughter at Johnson in TV debate, The Guardian).

13. Fake social media actors

Fake tweets by Jeremy Corbyn were posted on 4Chan, Twitter and WhatsApp after the London Bridge terror attack. The tweets provided confirmation bias of the activist narrative of Mr Corbyn on issues such as policing and security. (How fake Jeremy Corbyn Tweet about London Bridge spread like wildfire in minutes, Huffington Post).

14. Blatant political lies

Sajid Javid claimed that homelessness had been halved under Conservatives administration. It came in response to Labour’s pledge to end rough sleeping. Homelessness in England fell between 2003 and 2009. It has risen by around 39% since then. (Sajid Javid claims 50% fall in homelessness under Conservatives—homelessness is up since 2010, Full Fact).

15. Fact checking

The campaign saw the emergence of fact checking organisations, challenging the claims of political campaigns. These included the independent organisation Full Fact and Channel 4’s FactCheck. The Tortoise tracked the falsehoods of the election campaign – from the leaders, their parties, and their social media machines. (Big little lies, The Tortoise).

16. Single issue campaign groups

Led by Donkeys is a political campaign group that uses satire to target pro-Brexit politicians. It calls out past statements that highlight have not stood the test of time via poster sites and digital ad campaigns. As a campaign group it is not subject to Electoral Commission scrutiny. (Led By Donkeys in David-and-Goliath campaign to counter Tory Facebook ad deluge, The New European).

17. Misattribution by political parties

A Lib Dem leaflet falsely attributed a pro-Lib Dem quote to The Guardian. In fact, the quote “Lib Dems winning and on the up after by-election victory” was a claim made by party leader Jo Swinson in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. It was subsequently cited by The Guardian. (Lib Dems in owned media manipulation, Stephen Waddington).

19. Fake local newspapers

The Liberal Democrat Party published campaign newspapers including The North East Fife Gazette, Mid-Hampshire Gazette, and North West Leeds and Wharfedale News. Local newspaper editors and journalists have been brutal in their condemnation of the Lib Dem’s tactic, claiming it erodes trust in the earned media. (Lib Dems in owned media manipulation, Stephen Waddington).

20. Dodgy data

The Liberal Democrat Party were criticised for their use of dodgy bar charts to show electoral advantage. A leaflet distributed in Edinburgh showed the Conservatives and Labour declining in Scotland, and the Lib Dems gaining on the SNP. The chart had no labels or source and wasn’t worthy of a primary school child. (Lib Dems in owned media manipulation, Stephen Waddington).

21. Distraction

At a rally in Sunderland Prime Minister Boris Johnson jumped on a question about the BBC Licence fee claiming that he’d review its business model. It was a blatant distraction from the fracas at Leeds General Infirmary. The BBC licence fee deal is guaranteed beyond the life of the next Parliament to 2027. (Distraction as a media relations tactic, Stephen Waddington).

22. Facebook Ad Library fail

Facebook's Ad Library was a bid by the platform to self-regulate and bring transparency to political advertising. However, it failed 48 hours before the election. The issue has since been fixed but during the issue ads were unsearchable by names or keywords. (Thousands of UK political ads went missing from Facebook archive searches, Reuters).

23. Faking a social media account

The Conservative Party changed its Twitter account to @FactCheckUK during a TV debate. Faking or impersonating an owner or social media account is plainly wrong. Twitter itself called out the Conservative Party and threatened sanctions if it repeats the behaviour in the future. (Faking an owned or social media account is wrong, Stephen Waddington).

24. Faking a manifesto

The Conservative Party published a fake website version of the Labour Party manifesto. The faux manifesto cites Labour policy as having no plan for Brexit, higher taxes and pushing for two more referendums. (Tories risk new backlash over spoof Labour website, The Financial Times).

25. Miscalculation: Labour’s flawed savings claim

Labour claimed during the election that households would be £6,000 better off under a general election. It didn’t breakdown the figure until pressed on the issue. The list wasn’t typical of the average household and failed to account for inflation. (General Election: Labour's £6,000 bill claim fact-checked, BBC).

26. Manipulating Twitter storms

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s set piece interview with Andrew Neil was brutal. He refused four times to apologise for anti-Semitism in the Labour party. Supporters flooded Twitter with posts while it was aired in a bid to drown out comment on the social network. The tactic failed. (Leaked texts reveal how Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters were ordered to flood Twitter over car crash Andrew Neil interview, The Sun).

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