PICTURES SUPPOSEDLY SHOWING a column by Marianna Spring in The Guardian newspaper about far-right conspiracy theories are fake.
The doctored headline, dated 25 June, reads: “A far-right conspiracy theory is always a far-right conspiracy theory, irrespective of whether it’s true or not.”
An introductory paragraph to the piece also reads: “In fact, the more true it is, the more of a far-right conspiracy theory it is. That’s what the SettledScience says anyway.”
Versions of the image have been shared across social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, including by what appear to be Irish-run accounts.
The column is attributed to Marianna Spring, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, who confirmed to The Journal that the headline was fake.
“It’s after my Marianna in Conspiracyland Radio 4 podcast investigation went out that the trolls made this,” she told The Journal, referring to a podcast examining a British conspiracy theory newspaper called The Light.
Gemma O’Doherty, the editor of an Irish version of that same paper, has been sued for claiming deaths in Ireland were linked to Covid-19 vaccines.
There is no trace of such the article about far-right conspiracy theories being published on The Guardian’s website, and the paper confirmed that the image was not real.
“We can confirm that the link shared has never been a published Guardian headline or story,” The Guardian Press Office said in response to inquiries by The Journal.
Online headlines are incredibly easy to fake. While sometimes intended as satire, they are regularly spread and believed to be real in fringe communities.
The Journal has previously debunked similar fabricated headlines, including one last month also purporting to be from The Guardian.
The Journal’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here.
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