A new report reveals that local social media groups are driving misinformation in areas lacking reliable news sources, with over 4.4 million people living in 'news deserts' across the UK. The study, conducted by the Social Market Foundation (SMF), analysed more than 125,000 posts on Facebook, X, and Nextdoor, finding that misinformation was nearly three times more common in areas with little or no recognised local journalism.
The most common topics of misinformation were immigration and Islamophobia. Spikes in fake news were identified around local elections, with misinformation increasing by 56% in the run-up to polling day. The report described local online groups as 'the silent killer of trust in Britain', uncovering faked local authority communications, AI-generated content, and misleading claims about councils.
Examples of false posts included a suggestion that Birmingham council meetings had stopped being conducted in English, a fake expansion of London's congestion charge, and a plan to make the countryside 'less white'. In Gorton and Denton, Manchester, misinformation was detected in three out of four local groups during a recent byelection, with false quotes and misleading claims about political candidates.
The SMF analysis found that 6.5% of news-related posts in Gorton and Denton groups were misinformation. Nationally, one in 26 news-related Facebook posts contained misinformation, while on X the ratio was more than one in four. Two in five local Facebook groups and over four in five X searches featured at least one piece of misinformation.
Labour MP Chi Onwurah, chair of the science and technology select committee, called the findings 'deeply concerning' and urged the government to adopt recommendations on tackling online misinformation. The government acknowledged the dangers but said it would focus on the most prevalent harms.
