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Specifically w.r.t “@nhs_susan” account, Full Fact report confirms that this was indeed a fake account tweeting pro-government messages. Who operated this account remains unknown: it could have been used for pro-DHSC propaganda, but it also could have been used to frame the DHSC, accusing them for a propaganda attempt they didn't do:

Mr O’Connell claims to have identified 128 accounts that form part of this network. However, at the time of writing, we are only aware of one account, “@nhs_susan”, that has been publicly identified. That account has since been deleted, but some of its tweets can still be seen in a Google cache.

 

The account was undeniably fake—it uses an image of a real nurse from the website of Unison, a trade union that represents a large number of healthcare workers.

 

It is true that, based on what’s visible in the Google cache, this account tweeted broadly pro-government sentiments. However, it doesn’t contain evidence supporting Mr O’Connell’s broader claims that these accounts initially pushed a “herd immunity” policy, and then advocated for ending the lockdown.

 

There are also elements of the account that suggest it may have been intended, at least in part, as a parody of left-wing activists. The account’s pinned tweet was a call to ban displays of public support for NHS workers, saying: “As a deaf junior doctor, I must say it’s not inclusive for people like me, and children who go to bed early and also dogs who have sensory overload. #bantheclap”

Fun fact: O’Connell have already spread a claim about selling NHS assets that turned out to be false. This indeed doesn't prove anything about the current claim, but in absence of hard evidence it does increase the probability that the current claim is false too.

Specifically w.r.t “@nhs_susan” account, Full Fact report confirms that this was indeed a fake account tweeting pro-government messages. Who operated this account remains unknown: it could have been used for pro-DHSC propaganda, but it also could have been used to frame the DHSC, accusing them for a propaganda attempt they didn't do:

Mr O’Connell claims to have identified 128 accounts that form part of this network. However, at the time of writing, we are only aware of one account, “@nhs_susan”, that has been publicly identified. That account has since been deleted, but some of its tweets can still be seen in a Google cache.

 

The account was undeniably fake—it uses an image of a real nurse from the website of Unison, a trade union that represents a large number of healthcare workers.

 

It is true that, based on what’s visible in the Google cache, this account tweeted broadly pro-government sentiments. However, it doesn’t contain evidence supporting Mr O’Connell’s broader claims that these accounts initially pushed a “herd immunity” policy, and then advocated for ending the lockdown.

 

There are also elements of the account that suggest it may have been intended, at least in part, as a parody of left-wing activists. The account’s pinned tweet was a call to ban displays of public support for NHS workers, saying: “As a deaf junior doctor, I must say it’s not inclusive for people like me, and children who go to bed early and also dogs who have sensory overload. #bantheclap”

Fun fact: O’Connell have already spread a claim about selling NHS assets that turned out to be false. This indeed doesn't prove anything about the current claim, but in absence of hard evidence it does increase the probability that the current claim is false too.

Specifically w.r.t “@nhs_susan” account, Full Fact report confirms that this was indeed a fake account tweeting pro-government messages. Who operated this account remains unknown: it could have been used for pro-DHSC propaganda, but it also could have been used to frame the DHSC, accusing them for a propaganda attempt they didn't do:

Mr O’Connell claims to have identified 128 accounts that form part of this network. However, at the time of writing, we are only aware of one account, “@nhs_susan”, that has been publicly identified. That account has since been deleted, but some of its tweets can still be seen in a Google cache.

The account was undeniably fake—it uses an image of a real nurse from the website of Unison, a trade union that represents a large number of healthcare workers.

It is true that, based on what’s visible in the Google cache, this account tweeted broadly pro-government sentiments. However, it doesn’t contain evidence supporting Mr O’Connell’s broader claims that these accounts initially pushed a “herd immunity” policy, and then advocated for ending the lockdown.

There are also elements of the account that suggest it may have been intended, at least in part, as a parody of left-wing activists. The account’s pinned tweet was a call to ban displays of public support for NHS workers, saying: “As a deaf junior doctor, I must say it’s not inclusive for people like me, and children who go to bed early and also dogs who have sensory overload. #bantheclap”

Fun fact: O’Connell have already spread a claim about selling NHS assets that turned out to be false. This indeed doesn't prove anything about the current claim, but in absence of hard evidence it does increase the probability that the current claim is false too.

Source Link

Specifically w.r.t “@nhs_susan” account, Full Fact report confirms that this was indeed a fake account tweeting pro-government messages. Who operated this account remains unknown: it could have been used for pro-DHSC propaganda, but it also could have been used to frame the DHSC, accusing them for a propaganda attempt they didn't do:

Mr O’Connell claims to have identified 128 accounts that form part of this network. However, at the time of writing, we are only aware of one account, “@nhs_susan”, that has been publicly identified. That account has since been deleted, but some of its tweets can still be seen in a Google cache.

The account was undeniably fake—it uses an image of a real nurse from the website of Unison, a trade union that represents a large number of healthcare workers.

It is true that, based on what’s visible in the Google cache, this account tweeted broadly pro-government sentiments. However, it doesn’t contain evidence supporting Mr O’Connell’s broader claims that these accounts initially pushed a “herd immunity” policy, and then advocated for ending the lockdown.

There are also elements of the account that suggest it may have been intended, at least in part, as a parody of left-wing activists. The account’s pinned tweet was a call to ban displays of public support for NHS workers, saying: “As a deaf junior doctor, I must say it’s not inclusive for people like me, and children who go to bed early and also dogs who have sensory overload. #bantheclap”

Fun fact: O’Connell have already spread a claim about selling NHS assets that turned out to be false. This indeed doesn't prove anything about the current claim, but in absence of hard evidence it does increase the probability that the current claim is false too.