Disaster Trolls: 3. The Insider

What sort of person spreads false claims about survivors of terror attacks? An unexpected source gives Marianna Spring the inside track on conspiracy show host Richard D Hall.

Neil Sanders has moved in the same sort of conspiracy-minded circles as Hall for years. He’s been a regular guest on Hall’s show. Neil even says he probably wouldn’t have written his book without Hall’s encouragement. In this episode, he helps Marianna chart Hall’s evolution from a UFO enthusiast obsessed with alien abductions to someone who promotes toxic conspiracy theories.

Neil rejects Hall’s theories about so-called “crisis actors” and faked terror attacks, and he recognises the distress those false claims cause to survivors.

In this BBC Radio 4 podcast, 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. Some are even tracked down offline too. Now they want answers and justice.

This episode contains audio from Richard D Hall’s website.

Presenter: Marianna Spring Producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Ed Main