Disaster Trolls BBC Radio 4

Marianna Spring returns to her investigation into conspiracy theories about UK terror attack victims, and reports on moves to hold those responsible for spreading them to account.
Disaster Trolls revealed how people caught up in the Manchester Arena bombing suffered years of online abuse and threats as a result of false claims that they were “crisis actors” who faked the attack.
In this new episode, Marianna discovers what has changed for some of the people who featured in the original series.
She also reports on developments in efforts to hold to account those who spread extreme conspiracy theories, and asks questions about how to tackle harmful disinformation while protecting freedom of expression at the same time.
This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence.
Presenter: Marianna Spring
Producer: Olivia Lace-Evans
Editor: Ed Main

News breaks of a landmark US court ruling about the Sandy Hook shooting, raising the hopes of victims of conspiracy theories in the UK, in their own struggles for accountability.
When a Connecticut jury orders Infowars host Alex Jones to pay almost a billion dollars in damages for the false claims he promoted, Marianna Spring is contacted by many of the people she has spoken to during the series.
She is also sent reaction by other bereaved relatives of terror victims, who have been targeted with conspiracy theories and online abuse.

In this final episode, Marianna reflects on her investigation. She learns more about the libel action that Martin Hibbert, a survivor of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, is taking steps to bring against the conspiracy show host Richard D Hall. There is news from YouTube, and a new video from Hall.
This episode contains audio from Richard D Hall’s website.
Presenter: Marianna Spring
Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Ed Main

Travis survived the Westminster Bridge attack, but he didn’t expect what came next. Are victims of terrorism taken seriously enough when they seek help against abusive trolling?
A terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament in March 2017 left five people dead, while 50 more - including Travis - were injured. As Travis lay recovering in hospital, he opened his phone and saw a death threat that accused him of being a “crisis actor” paid to fake the attack. More were to follow.
But Travis says when he sought action to stop the abuse, he came up against a lack of awareness. He feels badly let down by the response he received. So is this a problem that society should be doing more to combat, and if so whose responsibility is it?
In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring, investigates how survivors of UK terror attacks and tragedies are targeted with horrific conspiracy theories, online abuse and threats.
Across this series - and in this episode - there are graphic descriptions of violence.
Presenter: Marianna Spring
Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Ed Main

Brent has disavowed the toxic conspiracy theories he helped create about the 7/7 London terror attacks. But what will happen when he meets a survivor?
After years down the rabbit hole, Brent has severed his ties with the conspiracy world which has dominated much of his adult life. He recalls helping to shape false claims that the 7/7 London terror attacks in July 2005 were “false flag” operations staged by sinister forces in the government. But now he is trying to make amends.
Paul was seriously injured in those attacks, and has also suffered as a result of the sort of conspiracy theories that Brent used to propagate. Marianna brings the two men together for a conversation.
In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, Marianna Spring, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, investigates how survivors of terrorist attacks are targeted with online abuse and false claims that deny the reality of the traumatic events they have lived through.
Across this series - and in this episode - there are graphic descriptions of violence.
Presenter: Marianna Spring
Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Ed Main

Rob tried to stop his Infowars colleagues spreading conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook shooting. Now his testimony has helped hold his former boss to account in court.
Twenty of the 27 people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, were children. But for years after the attack, Infowars host Alex Jones used his show to spread false claims that nobody died, and that the shooting was faked to create a pretext to disarm US gun owners.
In this episode, Rob talks about his 13 years working for Infowars, and how in that time he saw Jones achieve enormous wealth and fame by pushing ever more extreme conspiracy theories.
Rob was mocked and ignored when he urged Jones and other co-workers to drop the harmful lies they were pushing about Sandy Hook. But his testimony, about what went on inside the company, has now helped parents of the shooting victims to win huge damages awards against his former boss.
Could this sort of legal action provide a way for those targeted by similar conspiracy theories in Britain to seek accountability from their tormentors?
In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, Marianna Spring, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, investigates how survivors of UK terror attacks and other tragedies, suffer, online abuse and threats. This episode contains audio from the Infowars website.
Presenter: Marianna Spring
Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Ed Main

The visitor to Lisa’s boatyard appeared to be an ordinary customer. But, she was horrified to later discover the real reason he had turned up at her workplace.
The man who had pretended to be interested in buying a speedboat or a jet ski, was actually the conspiracy show host Richard D Hall.
Lisa was seriously injured in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing - a terror attack which Hall falsely claims was faked by sinister forces in the secret services. Some time after Hall’s visit, Lisa was distressed to learn that Hall had visited her workplace, posing as a customer, with the aim of secretly recording her to discover whether she’s lying about her injuries - and that he had talked about it online.
As Lisa ponders how Hall can be held to account, another Manchester survivor reveals his plans to take legal action against him. Martin Hibbert - who we heard from in an earlier episode - is spurred on by the US court victory of the relatives of the Sandy Hook shooting victims who have successfully sued Infowars host Alex Jones in Texas.
Across this series - and in this episode - there are graphic descriptions of violence. This episode contains audio from Richard D Hall’s website.
Presenter: Marianna Spring
Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Ed Main