5. Who believes this stuff?

How widespread is the belief in conspiracy theories that falsely claim UK terror attacks are faked? Marianna Spring reveals the results of a survey carried out for the BBC.There’s a moment of revelation when she talks to Alicia, a fan of Richard D Hall, to learn more about the appeal of the online conspiracy show host. We also hear how Hall’s online reach has grown during the pandemic.In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, Marianna Spring, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, investigates how survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing and other tragedies, are targeted with online abuse and false claims that deny the reality of the horrific events they have lived through.How popular are these extreme conspiracy theories? What are the factors that make people more susceptible to believing them? This episode provides some insight from the results of an online survey carried out for the BBC. King's College London interviewed more than 4000 adults in the UK, between 1-9 October 2022.Presenter: Marianna Spring Producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Ed Main

Om Podcasten

What happens when tragedy makes you a target? Why would anybody accuse terrorism survivors of being liars and "crisis actors"?The BBC's disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring investigates how people caught up in the Manchester Arena bombing and other UK terror attacks, are targeted with extreme conspiracy theories, online abuse and threats. Some are even hunted down offline. It's a phenomenon we might usually associate with the US, and the billion dollar damages ruling against Alex Jones for claiming the Sandy Hook school shootings were faked. But Marianna uncovers shocking evidence that British trolls are also blighting the lives of people right here in the UK, who now want answers and justice.