David Farrier Profile picture
Aug 26, 2020 6 tweets 4 min read Read on X
thread RE: qanon, 1/6:

good morning. i have a podcast up with @JoeUscinski - associate professor of political science at the university of miami. he tells me belief in qanon & conspiracy theories is not going up. it’s stable: webworm.substack.com/p/episode-3-ma…
thread RE: qanon, 2/6:

it’s a deeply unusual conversation, and i really enjoyed it. joe does these huge polls for pew research, and he reckons q isn’t even a far right thing: ImageImage
thread RE: qanon, 3/6:

despite “everything being turned up to 11” — in america at least, joe is seeing no increase in conspiracy theory belief. ImageImage
thread RE: qanon, 4/6:

oh, you know how social media is fucking us all up even more? joe disagrees. i told you this conversation was weird! ImageImage
thread RE: qanon, 5/6:

i told him about how we’re seeing qanon adjacent bullshit pop up in NZ politics, and he playfully pushed back on WHY this is happening, too: ImageImage
thread RE: qanon, 6/6:

i’ve transcribed my whole conversion with @JoeUscinski here - or you can listen to the webworm podcast about it, too: webworm.substack.com/p/episode-3-ma…

please sign up if you haven’t already — helps me keep doing this stuff. tell a friend. RT this shit.

ok bye!

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More from @davidfarrier

Apr 14, 2022
this is part II of my story about physical & emotional abuse within new zealand’s biggest megachurch, arise. this final piece contains distressing descriptions of sexual & emotional abuse. please take care when reading.

favour: don’t like it, retweet it

webworm.co/p/downwardspir…
PS: arise says it will start its HR review “after easter”.
easter is BIG for arise: they’ve been sending school kids home with easter buns, advertising their easter church services. these will take place across arise’s 11 churches. make no mistake: this is a recruitment drive Image
PPS: the longer i’ve spent investigating this church, the more cult parallels emerge.

this, just now to my inbox, from an arise member: ImageImage
Read 4 tweets
Apr 10, 2022
thread 1/8: it's been 10 days since i wrote about the experiences of former and current interns at arise church (webworm.co/p/arise), and still no comment:
thread 2/8: now arise church has engaged a PR firm. i found out last night they'd done this - because they'd engaged with *another* media organisation (@critictearohi) - but not me:
thread 3/8: frustrated that arise church, its leader john cameron, and now a PR agency were talking to others (but ghosting me, and those i wrote about, for 10 days now) - i tweeted my frustration. the next morning i awoke to an email from the PR agency (lol):
Read 8 tweets
Dec 1, 2021
thread 1/6: the latest maildrop from fringe disinformation group "voices of freedom" contained the usual lies - but also something interesting in the top right hand corner: a tick from kiwi advertising watchdog, the advertising standards authority:
2/6: curious, i dug in, and yes - it appears the ASA agreed with 5 of the 6 pieces of disinformation distributed by voices for freedom. here is just one example, of many:
3/6: i wrote back and forth with the CEO of the ASA several times, who seemed to keep falling back onto the point that this is "advocacy advertising" which is different to other advertising, somehow:
Read 6 tweets
Nov 11, 2021
thread 1/8: often hear from people asking for advice on what to do when a loved one or friend falls down the conspiracy theory / misinformation rabbit hole - so here's a list of pieces i've run featuring advice from experts, that may help:
thread 2/8: how to talk to people stuck in a conspiracy theory hellscape, with mick west - master debunker and creator of tony hawk pro skater: webworm.co/p/how-to-talk-…
thread 3/8: i talk to the creator of the conspiracy chart with tiktok science educator @abbieasr: webworm.co/p/i-talk-to-th…
Read 8 tweets
Aug 26, 2021
1/10: i've been sent a cease & desist by chris patterson barrister on behalf of dr dan, the NZ doctor i wrote about who’d been posting about ivermectin. they want a signed apology & retraction by end of day. i will not be doing that, and this is why: webworm.co/p/ceaseanddesi…
2/10: at its most basic, the 3 page letter alleges the webworm i’d sent was defamatory (it wasn’t). it ended with the threat that if i didn’t sign the document “we reserve all of our client’s rights including his right to bring proceedings against you without further warning”
3/10: at this point i knew i would be writing a webworm about this, because i am sick of men hiring lawyers to shut me up. this usually goes on behind closed doors, but i’m kinda over of it by now, and want *you* to see how this process works
Read 10 tweets
Aug 24, 2021
1/5: i wanted to explore the strong links between evangelical christianity & the anti-vax movement, so started by looking at new zealand's city impact church which recently held a 90 minute "special meeting", spreading conspiracy theories & misinformation: webworm.co/p/worshipping-…
2/5: i was alerted to this by concerned family members who have loved ones that attend this church. while destiny church gets a lot of flack, i'd argue city impact is much bigger & more dangerous - yet tends to fly under the radar (because, well: white. it's very fucking white)
3/5: from there, i spoke to a former evangelical christian who explains why this breed of christianity (pentecostal, charismatic, apostolic, evangelical - call it what you want) tends to embrace conspiracy messages. in fact, it's practical unavoidable:
Read 6 tweets

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