Could MNHQ please clarify its policy with regard to tackling misinformation and disinformation on the site?

[MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack]

There is a lot of misinformation and disinformation here on Mumsnet. I expect most site users will be aware of this. It is not unique to Mumsnet by any means - disinformation is everywhere on the Internet these days.

The Mumsnet reporting function has an option which explicitly allows users to report posts as "misinformation". However, it is not clear to me as to what MNHQ's policy is for dealing with such reports, and I would be grateful if this could be clarified.

On previous occasions, when I have reported unequivocally false statements on Mumsnet, I have been told that MNHQ doesn't have the ability to check whether claims are factual or not, and so I should challenge the false statements on the relevant thread instead. I know that other posters have received similar responses.

I can sort of accept the explanation that the moderators may not have either the time or the skills to fact check everything, though I do personally think there is still an argument that MNHQ should take more responsibility for preventing the spread of disinformation via their site. However, I have found it harder to understand why they still provide an option for reporting misinformation if they do not actually feel that they are able to tackle it in practice. Is it merely to give the impression that they might do something about it?

Yesterday, I reported a post which contained a false statement that was presented as fact. It was not a statement that could be open to interpretation or a matter of subjective judgement. It was simply false, and demonstrably so.

I did not receive any response to the report for many hours. Then eventually I received a response which stated that the post did not break Talk Guidelines and that it would therefore be left to stand so that it could be challenged on the thread.

I responded to the email to ask for clarification as to whether misinformation or disinformation is now permitted under Talk Guidelines, and to ask what the "report misinformation" function was for if this is no longer breaking Talk Guidelines. I have not received any response to that query. However, a few minutes after sending it, I received a separate email (from the same moderator), thanking me for reporting the post in question and confirming that the post had been deleted. The email made no reference to the earlier emails, didn't explain the earlier statement that the post hadn't broken any Talk Guidelines, didn't address the questions that I had asked. I checked the thread, and the false post had indeed been deleted. But I don't think it would have been if I had not pushed back.

It is difficult to have much faith in Mumsnet moderation when such inconsistencies arise. The most charitable explanation that I can think of is that the moderator didn't really bother checking the post properly before initially deciding to allow it to stand.

I do appreciate that the moderators are human, and that they will make mistakes sometimes, but this seems to happen far more often than it should. Could MNHQ please shed some light on the specific procedures that are followed when reports of misinformation are received, and what the actual policy is with regard to dealing with misinformation and disinformation when it is identified.

Thank you

The policy of allowing things to remain so they can be challenged is exactly how our society became as divisive as it is. It is clear in this “post truth” era, there are people who will believe what they read and will dismiss any fact check as biased or there is some kind of conspiracy theory. The more the lie is repeated the more ot is presented as truth.

The site also seems to have a policy of allowing obvious troll/click bait to stand on the basis “there have been some good responses here”. That can only lead me to believe the main driver around moderation is to ensure traffic.

I have also wondered if posts are sometimes left to stand because the rage bait posts help to drive traffic. MNHQ's profits do come from the advertising revenue after all.

I think it annoys me that there is a pretence of MNHQ wanting to do something about misinformation or disinformation on the site, as evidenced by the presence of the misinformation reporting function. But there doesn't seem to be any real will to do anything about it in practice.

And unfortunately you're right - if the lies are repeated often enough, a lot of people will start to believe them.

This thread is not about the facts in question.

Firstly, if I quoted the post that I originally reported, then this would become a thread about a thread, which is explicitly against Talk Guidelines.

Secondly, I have already made it clear that the statement in question was unequivocally false, and not open to judgement or interpretation, so it doesn't really matter what it was. MNHQ have now deleted it, and so I am not going to repeat it. And I don't want the discussion to be derailed by an inevitable discussion of issues adjacent to the false statement.

Thirdly, my query to MNHQ is a general one which spans mis/disinformation across all topics. The post that I reported this morning was just one example of a much wider problem.

This is not a thread for discussing contentious issues. It is a thread about MNHQ's approach to handling mis/disinformation on the site. If you are eager to discuss other issues, there are plenty of other threads on which to do that. Let's keep this one on topic.

I agree with you OP.

And I can also see posters want to question the information, which is exactly why reputable sites should not allow mis and dis information to stand.

"It's your job to ensure that disinformation is challenged'" is not an appropriate requirement for users of a chat forum, really.

Putting the onus on us to do the work - what happens if the disinformation is then not challenged? If the OP who reported it decided they couldn't be arsed, which is entirely their prerogative, what then? MN becomes a cesspit of disinformation?

It can certainly be the case that challenging disinformation is a joyless task that opens you up to abuse and many end up giving up.

Positrons?

This is an opinion forum, nobody on here is verified, posting under their true identity or posting with any qualifications. Nothing is being presented as ‘fact’ any more than it would be if some random person in the street came up to you and told you something. Every user should be able to understand this and to either check statements made by other users or ask for sources to back statements up. If you want a factual website then Mumsnet is clearly not the right place to be, it’s an opinion forum not a news outlet or research facility. Everybody should be assuming everything posted may be misinformation or untrue all of the time, nothing is verified and not could it be unless the entire purpose of the site was to be changed.

Without knowing what you challenged, OP, it’s not really possible to comment.

Generally, though, I think hunting down misinformation is always a bit pointless. When the vax boards existed, for example, they were awash with incorrect rubbish. Conspiracy theory threads are equally bad (though perhaps not so dangerous). Statements about the law are frequently wrong, as is the scaremongering about food and diet. A lot of the factual political statements made by supporters of parties (esp, IMO, Labour supporters) are incorrect nonsense.

I tend to think that unless misinformation is dangerous or offensive, it is just the price we pay for more or less open discussion.

It was a simple mis-statement of fact. Akin to claiming that electrons are positively charged rather than a hotly debated question like whether or not Israel is committing genocide, which is clearly more nuanced and open to subjective judgement or interpretation.

I second this request.

I agree OP. But if HQ removed all mis and dis information on here I think there would probably be very little left.

@MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack I've reported lots of posts on CITME over the last couple of years for misinformation and I'm not sure a single one has been deleted by MN mods.

It's strange really because they routinely delete posts that break other of their site rules such as personal attacks or racism.

At this point I question why they even list "misinformation" as a rule break, tbh. I'm not just talking about differences of opinions but things that are factually just wrong.

It doesn't matter what it was that I reported. MNHQ have already deleted it now.

I am asking for MNHQ to clarify their policy and processes in this area. I'm not asking anyone to comment on specific deletions.

😂Bring back the laughing emoji

There are a lot of posts giving misinformation on weight loss injections, and I actually think much of it is on purpose, people trying to scare monger as they can’t access them and are resentful, and don’t want people to have them. Either that or they get fheir info from social media and present made up stuff they read as fact,

I’ve never really heard of anyone reporting if as misinformation. Just seen it corrected in the thread, but then people try to argue it’s accurate or present it as “just my opinion” to get round it,

but yes presenting false information as fact is quite common, but it is a chat forum,and I can see why the mods couldn’t sit and fact check everything.

I have already made it clear that the statement in question was unequivocally false, and not open to judgement or interpretation

If that was the case then everyone would know it was false and it wouldn't be spreading misinformation.

I think if it's that clear then everyone will just ignore it anyway, why does it have to be removed, it's not harming anyone.

That's exactly how I feel. I don't understand the point of inviting us to report misinformation if they are not going to do anything about it, and I would like more clarity and transparency with regard to MNHQ's stance on this matter.

This is not a matter of whether posters are left leaning or right leaning, pro Israel or pro Palestine, or anything like that. Mis/disinformation can come from any direction and we should all be concerned about the site being used to spread misleading claims.

I believe that the poster did know it was false and was deliberately seeking to spread disinformation.

Why?

And that's a valid position to hold, even though I disagree with it, but then why have a facility for reporting it then?

Disinformation is different from misinformation. There, as someone else said, was loads of it on vaxx threads. No reputable site should want deliberately placed and inaccurate facts to be visible. This can be downright dangerous and can also be linked to hate speech , another category added by HQ.

Positively charged electrons.

Excellent thread @MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack I hope MN come in with a helpful response soon.

I think any user expecting MNHQ to be mummy and daddy, to mediate, to be fact-finding truth seekers, to be definitive etc are missing the point of MN! It’s no different from any other public forum: it operates as skillfully as the least skilled user, which is to say not at all.

I can see that too, but then they should be upfront about this and remove that option on the reporting.

As things stand, the ability to report misinformation gives the impression that MNHQ will fact check posts and delete them if they are found to be false. And that is misleading in my view.