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Lydia Morrish

Profile

Lydia Morrish is a social media journalist and producer at First Draft where she reports on disinformation, identity, women's health, conspiracy theories and social media. In 2020, she was nominated for the British Journalism Awards in Technology Journalism for a data-driven investigation into anti-mask misinformation on Twitter. She has also contributed to reports on QAnon and gender-based vaccine misinformation for MSNBC and WNET. Her work has also been published by The i, WIRED, Coda Story, Metro.co.uk, Vice, Dazed, Refinery29, Marie Claire, Huck, The New European, NewsMavens and Konbini.

Twitter

@lydmorrish

Author's News

How fringe candidates use misinformation to gain outsized online influence

Social media allows some fringe candidates to gain online reach they wouldn't otherwise have

How we investigated the spread of Covid-19 vaccine misinformation on Facebook

The platform recently announced a ban on false Covid-19 and vaccine claims, so we used technical methods to see whether it’s working.

From HPV to Covid-19: Personal stories power anti-vaccine misinformation

Groups that have historically criticized HPV vaccines are shifting their attention

The 2020 rabbit hole: Why conspiracy theories draw people in

Baseless beliefs have become more popular globally, promising orderly answers to those experiencing confusion, isolation and grief in an upside-down world

How QAnon content endures on social media through visuals and code words

Evolving tactics from QAnon-promoting accounts pose moderation challenges for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Coronavirus: How pro-mask posts boost the anti-mask movement

Despite the trending hashtags and media coverage, research shows anti-maskers are often amplified by algorithms, Twitter and the people who mock them.

How to use Facebook’s Ad Library to find coronavirus stories

Searching and understanding the archive can enrich research and reporting — and potentially reveal some interesting leads.

Lessons on covering coronavirus misinformation from the fallout of 'Plandemic'

Experts weigh in on the viral conspiracy theory video illustrating how disinformation spreads in the ‘infodemic’

How newsrooms can support staff reporting on Covid-19

Misinformation surrounding the novel coronavirus is increasing pressure on journalists as they adapt to new isolated work practices.

How to stay mentally well while reporting on the coronavirus

Journalists globally need to take care of themselves as the demand for Covid-19 coverage continues.

How fake videos unravelled Pakistan’s war on polio

New research from First Draft goes into detail on how staged footage became an engine for vaccine misinformation and mistrust in Pakistan, derailing efforts to immunise millions of children.

UK general election 2019: High-level disinformation and false polling reports in the final week

First Draft’s collaborative CrossCheck project spotlighted issues with voting at polling stations on election day and how a hospital became the focal point of hoaxes just days before the election.

UK general election 2019: Boris Johnson quote disputed, more suspicious Facebook ads and party publications get the magazine treatment

With less than one week to go until the December 12 vote, the amount of media manipulation and misleading information is increasing.

UK general election 2019: Fabricated tweets, pre-printed ballots and more fake newspapers

The BBC apologised for an edited clip and fake newspapers continued to roll off the political presses in week four of the election campaign.

Political campaigners wage war with websites ahead of UK election

‘Parody’ sites are the new battleground for grabbing voters’ attention and counteracting opposition party criticism.

UK General Election 2019: CCHQ’s fact-check stunt, fake newspapers and a squirrel hoax dominate the third week

First Draft’s investigations included deception from the Conservative Party, Momentum claiming BBC bias, and campaign literature masquerading as local newspapers.

How Twitonomy can be used to identify suspicious online behaviour

Finding the signs of automation is quick but not all red flags lead to 'bot' accounts.

Essential verification checklist for students

Two leading journalists overseeing social media teams give their advice on monitoring and verifying content online for new reporters.

The skills every digital investigator needs

Bellingcat’s Nick Waters talks through the essentials of open source intelligence.

How journalism schools keep up in the digital age

Journalism educators in the UK discuss the challenges of adapting curriculums to the digital era.

Boolean basics: How to write a search query for newsgathering that works

Smart searches cut through social media chatter by finding precise snippets of information based on keywords, dates and locations.

The student view: Verification of disinformation in the Baltics

First Draft is training the next generation of journalists to monitor, investigate and verify online content. Latvian-Russian student Jekaterina Drozdovica talks about her favourite verification tools and the role of emotions in information disorder

Week One: Setting up our new London headquarters

Our new British headquarters mark the start of an exciting era for our work tackling disinformation globally