To request a Mumsnet skeptical / rational section for questioning and debunking fake news?

[hoodathunkit]

Mumsnet is an important forum and we have some good critical thinkers here. Because of this Mumsnet will also attract trolls and disinformation agents.

I think Mumsnet could be an excellent and much needed resource for challenging fake news and disinformation about a range of subjects including but not limited to;

anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories
Qanon / Pizzagate / the satanic panic
cryptocurrency scams
MLMs
mental health quackery and pseudoscience

I am requesting this largely because sometimes the mods here (who I appreciate have a difficult job) have made mistakes and have deleted posts that were rational and evidence based

An example is some of my posts relating to the satanic panic have been removed on the false basis that they breach the We Believe You policy about rape and sexual abuse

It is very easy for malicious promoters of Qanon and related SRA conspiracy theories to make insane claims (e.g. "the Queen is a blood drinking lizard who tortured me at Buckingham Palace") and to them invoke the We Believe You policy to get threads and posts deleted.

For the avoidance of doubt, I have survived horrific sexual abuse and have not been believed. I support the WBY policy in general terms.

I have also experienced horrific abuses by mental health professionals who have attempted to persuade me that I have been a victim of satanic ritual abuse (I most definitely have not).

On occasion I have been gaslighted here by some posters who have claimed that I am "denying the reality of satanic ritual abuse" or simply denying CSA.

I would never deny the reality of cults abusing people, it is something I know a lot about. I would never deny the reality of child sexual abuse, something I have significant bitter personal experience of.

I simply would like to request a forum where the more outlandish claims of conspiracy theorists can be examined and debunked in a skeptical, rational manner.

AIBU?

I'm very sorry for what you've been through. But how would your proposal work? What is to stop the trolls to continue putting forward their theories or presenting them as facts?

Thanks for your post KrisAkabusi

I was thinking that the posts would be from credible sources and even then we would be invited to consider them from a nuanced, skeptical, rationalist perspective

The forum would (and I'm thinking aloud and open to suggestions) have a more adademic focus than other forums here. Even so acdemic papers would be subject to scrutiny as parodies in the excellent Grievance Studies papers by Pluckrose et al

for example, some videos I have enjjoyed and would like to discuss are as follows:

The 11th International Conference on Cyber Conflict (CyCon 2019) organized by NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn revolved around the theme of Silent Battle.

I watched the above video and was especially impressed with the 2nd speaker although all speakers have something to offer

Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia

Just interesting, nuanced and informative perspectives from a journalist who worked for Russian state sonsored media for some years

The long history of Russian disinformation targeting the U.S.
From Pizzagate to George Soros conspiracies, “fake news” has become a noxious presence in public discourse, especially since the 2016 presidential election. A recent New York Times video series explores the long history of Russian disinformation and its origins in what the Soviets dubbed “active measures.” Nick Schifrin speaks to Adam Ellick, who created the series, for more.

I am not suggesting that we believe all and every statement in the above videos, I just think that the critical thinking powers of clever women here could be put to good use but I need to up my game in relation to my posts here

I have recommended some material previously to readers who are interested in disinfomration and debunking conspiracy theories and I would like to ratch it up a level and maybe get some depth discussions going

If trolls appear then I would see that as an opportunity to explore their narratives and develop speculative hypotheses regarding their motivations

I am running late now but I have more videos to post

:)

just quickly, some other videos

I, BOT: Inside a Ukrainian Troll Factory
We are presenting an investigation on how the trolls, i.e. fake accounts, were used during the last parliamentary election campaign in Ukraine. Vasyl Bidun, a journalist for Hromadske’s partner Slidstvo.Info, went to work at a troll factory. The film "I, Bot" is a rare example of undercover reporting in today's investigative journalism in Ukraine.

How Russia Drives Poles Against The LGBTQ
"It's burning, it's burning!" chanted Polish nationalists in Warsaw, watching an LGBTQ flag burn during Pride this month. If you search "Poland anti-LGBT" on YouTube, you will find a large number of homophobic videos from Poland on the Russian-funded Ruptly and Sputnik channels. Researcher from the Wilson Center Nina Jankowicz found that this is because Russia is fuelling the homophobic narrative in Poland in order to further divide their society. This and other examples of Russian information warfare is what Yankowicz's new book "How to Lose The Information War" is about. Hromadske journalist Maria Romanenko spoke with Yankowicz to understand how and why Russia is doing this.

There are more

oops typo

Even so acdemic papers would be subject to scrutiny as parodies in the excellent Grievance Studies papers by Pluckrose et al

should read

Even so acdemic papers would be subject to scrutiny, for example as happened with the parodies in the excellent Grievance Studies papers by Pluckrose et al

butter fingers when typing in haste

some more accessible videos that are helpful in explaining anti-vaxx conspiracy theories and how they are linked to historical disinformation campaigns in the past

Operation Infektion
a very informative short film about a Soviet disinformation campaign that spread the falsehood that the US develped AIDS as a weapon against gay men and Africans.

Operation Infektion - longer documentary exploring the same issues as the above video but also exploring how disinformation campaigns astroturf / infiltrate grass roots activist communities

Both videos are very accessible and highly recommended