The scourge of fake news has descended upon Makerfield, with a damning new report revealing that nearly one in six news posts shared on local Facebook groups during the by-election campaign contained fabrications or hostile misinformation. The Social Market Foundation (SMF) think tank's study exposes a stark rise in disinformation targeting Labour candidate Andy Burnham and his party, raising concerns about the impact of social media on democratic processes.
The SMF analysed over 1,800 posts across four local Facebook groups with a combined membership of 66,000, finding that the proportion of false news escalated from 4% to 16% between the by-election's official call and the campaign period – a four-fold increase. This surge comes as Makerfield prepares for what is expected to be a tightly contested by-election.
The SMF notes that social media platforms' algorithms can inadvertently amplify misinformation, prioritising posts based on user engagement rather than recency. For instance, in one of the groups studied, five out of ten top posts were identified as false information, while another saw eight out of its top 25 posts fall into this category.
The report highlights the concerning trend that nearly half of Britons (46%) now rely on social media for local news, second only to television and ahead of all other sources. Over a third (34%) specifically utilise local social media groups, which often lack rigorous fact-checking and editorial oversight associated with traditional press outlets.
Theo Bertram, Director of the SMF, stressed that the Makerfield report underscores the need for increased action from regulatory bodies, advocating for stronger enforcement from tech companies and sustained investment in local journalism to counteract the spread of disinformation. He urged Ofcom to do more to address the issue, as voters in Makerfield are exposed to harmful misinformation at an intensity greater than typically observed across the UK.