Now in DC investigating everything social media - disinformation, algorithms, hate - including on election night.

Latest interrogating my undecided undercover voter’s feeds & contrast between what she’s pushed on X and TikTok, from some unfounded voter fraud claims to montages.


For more on my social media investigations with the undercover voters check out this thread out and about with Americast! And listen to all our episodes on BBC Sounds - including tonight.

All for the podcast, as well as BBC Online & News at Ten.

https://twitter.com/mariannaspring/status/1853122046940655707

What connects a dad in Pakistan, an amateur hockey player from Nova Scotia - and “Kevin” from Texas?

I tracked down people linked to Channel3Now, spoke to friends and questioned “management” to reveal real story behind the site accused of fuelling riots. bbc.com/news/articles/…
What I found appears to be a commercial operation attempting to aggregate crime news while making money on social media rather than linked to the Russian state. More on my investigation for Newscast & News at Ten. Really brilliant to see reaction to it! bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

It’s not AI, it’s us.

Instead of a deepfake tsunami, the election on social media was activists shaping & manipulating conversation with tested tactics (including AI). I investigated with BBC’s Undercover Voters, holding social media companies to account. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
The concept of the “social media election” is dead. Instead, the world is constantly shaped by what’s happening on our feeds and group chats. This election was one in which the same old questions about social media regulation went unanswered. Listen here! bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

Bot or Not? I’ve tracked down people posting about Reform branded ‘bots’. Lots genuine voters, others failed to prove they’re authentic. Reform UK says lots of support is real but is in touch with sites about fakes. Next Undercover Voters investigation. bbc.com/news/articles/… I spotted comments on posts pushed to my Undercover Voters. I didn’t find posts or accusations in same way about other parties. Some I spoke to are real Reform supporters - while others had holes in stories or didn’t prove they’re authentic.

For online, News at Ten, Newscast.

It’s my birthday - and next ep of Why Do You Hate Me pod, where I investigate extraordinary cases of online hate!

With exclusive access to Premier League troll-busting team, I explore rise in hate targeting both players & their families - like Neal Maupay. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…
For the Radio 4 podcast, I go inside the Premier league team tracking down players’ abusers, talk to striker Neal Maupay about social media abuse & tracks down the man they helped convict for threatening him. Also a series for iPlayer, online & News at Ten.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…

Social media has been awash with false claims, conspiracies and hate surrounding what's happening in Israel and Gaza - and questions over whether inauthentic accounts are manipulating the conversation.

I've been investigating who is behind this - and why. bbc.co.uk/news/world-mid…
The denial playbook is out in full force online, used to cast doubt on whether some Israeli hostages are really civilians - or claiming Palestinian people in Gaza are faking injuries.

Sometimes the source is obvious, but at other times it’s less evident. bbc.co.uk/news/world-mid…

“80% of online abuse received by BBC journalists is directed at one woman: the corporation’s 27-year-old disinformation correspondent.”

Brilliant to speak to Sunday Times Mag on investigating disinfo, hate, social media & Radio 4’s Marianna in Conspiracyland pod! New ep later.

Go buy a paper or read here! Wonderful to be interviewed by @phoebeluckhurst & photographed by Sane Seven.

Trolls are the price of investigating and exposing world of social media, conspiracies and hate! Grateful to editors and teams who support me.
thetimes.co.uk/article/the-bb…

EXCL - UK conspiracy theory newspaper sharing calls for trials & executions has links with far-right and German publication connected to a failed coup, the BBC can reveal.

My Radio 4 pod Marianna in Conspiracyland takes me from Totnes across UK to Berlin. tinyurl.com/mvdrhsw4 🚨 10 ep Radio 4 pod series revealing radicalisation of UK conspiracy theory movement, interrogating paper at its heart & exposing connections and harm on BBC Sounds.

With top @CloseEm @SamBonham @philipkmar @OLaceEvans & brill @Rhiroberts & Nathan Jones.tinyurl.com/575h638m

It’s not every day that Musk tweets you.

Go watch BBC Panorama on iPlayer - where Twitter insiders tell me its no longer able to protect users from trolling, state-backed disinfo and child exploitation under Musk. Backed up by data & users’ testimony. bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod… 🎬 Produced & directed by brilliant @AlysEliza 🎥 Shot by fab @tomtraies & shooting prod @OLaceEvans📱top AP @EamonnPTWalsh
Exec Leo Telling & Editor Karen Wightman.

Big thanks to current & former insiders & Twitter users who trusted us to investigate.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod…

EXCL: Twitter insiders have told me and BBC Panorama it’s no longer able to protect users from trolling, state-co-ordinated disinformation and child exploitation. Exclusive data and Twitter users’ testimony suggests hate & trolls are thriving. BBC One, 8PM.bbc.co.uk/news/technolog… Current and former Twitter employees have revealed features intended to protect Twitter users from harassment are proving difficult to maintain, amid what they describe as a chaotic working environment where Musk is shadowed by bodyguards at all times. bbc.co.uk/news/technolog…

EXCL: Conspiracy theorists, who claim UK terror attacks are staged, are tracking down survivors to homes and workplaces to see if they’re lying about injuries. And abuse is getting worse post-pandemic. I’ve investigated for BBC Panorama & Radio 4 podcasts. bbc.com/news/uk-634126… Now one survivor of Manchester Arena bombing is preparing libel action against a man who says he’s spied on victims. Conspiracies and tactics like his are emblematic of a wider phenomenon survivors and bereaved families are experiencing.

More on yday’s News at Ten & across BBC.

🚨 Meet the BBC’s undercover US Voters!

For Americast and Newsnight, I’ve created five characters - informed by research from Pew - to investigate what voters are exposed to and recommended across social media at a turbulent time for US politics.

bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-… Learn all about who they are & what they’ve seen so far on the first episode of the new-look Americast podcast & on Newsnight last night.

The characters reflect views across the political spectrum in the US and have 5 social media profiles. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

EXCL 🚨 For Panorama, I expose how social media sites recommend violent videos & knives for sale to a 13-year-old’s account and investigate the disturbing online world Olly stephens was exposed to before he was murdered.

BBC One tonight & across BBC News. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-618139… Stabbed by two teenagers, the entire attack on Olly was planned on social media. What are 13-year-old’s exposed to online? With exclusive access to Stuart & Amanda, I set out to uncover that.

With top team @AlysEliza @Alice_Journo @tomtraies bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…

Violent language like this has increasingly been adopted by anti-vax activists online and off.

It's used to target politicians, doctors - and reporters like me.

I covered the start of this radicalisation to violence for Newsnight.

bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-577…

https://twitter.com/habibi_uk/status/1472280608709783563

The Met has said it will investigate after wide-spread condemnation of this clip.

Similar to when another anti-vax activist compared Doctors to Nazis tried for war crimes.

We've seen how this violent language can fuel unrest on the streets, too.

Anti-vax activists are exploiting the drive for boosters.

Lots of people have asked how to speak to a relative scared off the jab by conspiracies on social media - which often exploit distrust and concerns.

Here's my reporting that might help!
bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-tre… 1⃣ Remind them how these activists exploit confusion, criticism and unrest.

We've seen that happen during anti-lockdown rallies across Europe - including in Holland, which I investigated for Newsnight.

Conspiracies are accompanied by violent rhetoric.

bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0b…

I’ve spent the day reporting across broadcast about condemnation of comments from a former nurse who likened NHS doctors to executed Nazi’s.

Her son has spoken out over fears she could inspire violence in a protest movement muddled with online conspiracies.

With @reetacbbc 📺 Where is the movement that she’s a part of headed?

Experts have warned of a radicalisation to violence happening - with increased discussion of executions and Nuremberg trials both online and off.

More analysis here and I covered this for Newsnight 👉bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-577…

Comments from a former Nurse at a rally likening NHS doctors to executed Nazis have been widely condemned.

I spoke to @BBCr4today about how this protest movement is muddled with online conspiracies and violent threats.

Her son Sebastian joins, calling for her to be prosecuted. I first interviewed Sebastian last year as his mum became one of the leader's of Britain's conspiracy community.

He feared for her impact on public health - and their relationship. Now he worries about her inspiring violence. bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-546…

Anti-lockdown protesters have again gathered in central London - even though restrictions have lifted.

Opposition to vaccine passports has become muddled with online conspiracies.

As I reported for Newsnight, this movement is about more than Covid-19. bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-577… Several speakers at rally well-known for promoting conspiracies about the pandemic online.

That includes former nurse Kate Shemirani - who has been struck off.

I interviewed her son - and spoke to her for a Panorama investigation into antivax tactics. bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-546…

NEW - After I posted about coordinated abuse I receive as the BBC’s specialist disinformation and social media reporter, my inbox was full of pleas from those in and outside the public eye experiencing online harassment.

My advice - and analysis of boycotts in @theipaper today. I discuss the mantra “don’t feed the trolls” - with analysis and research from @julieposetti @lahnabee

Whether overhauling our attitudes to trolling on social media is part of the answer is a question I’ll be investigating in the coming months.

inews.co.uk/news/technolog…

After reporting first-hand on online conspiracy theories about covid promoted at protests, I have been bombarded with horrific abuse and threats.

I am very happy the BBC has a specialist disinformation reporter investigating their impact. No-one should receive this vitriol. I’m very used to it. But this has been extreme and coordinated - this is just a fraction.

Harmful online conspiracies about COVID and vaccines infected protests, different to medical and political debates also promoted - my job is to report on their real-world consequences.

Anti-lockdown protesters - predominantly organised in Telegram channels promoting conspiracy theories about vaccines and pandemic are marching in Central London.

There are placards claiming covid is a hoax, “the experimental vaccine kills” and the QAnon “Save Our Children”. Lots of opposition to vaccine passports - including on this giant inflatable jab and placards about freedom, along with more extreme conspiracy theories about vaccines used to “kill”, covid being a hoax and New World Order.