All Sections

View and post jobs in journalism
  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Comment/Analysis
  • Editor's Pick
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Broadcast Journalism
    • Digital Journalism
    • Magazines
    • Media Law
    • National Newspapers
    • People
      • Appointments
      • Obituaries
    • Regional Newspapers
  • Press Gazette Podcast
  • British Journalism Awards
  • Press Gazette Email Newsletter

In the news

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • RSS
Close
[mashshare]
Skip to content
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • RSS
All sections

Search

Search pressgazette.co.uk

Close

Press Gazette

Subscribe to our email newsletter Journalism email newsletter
  • News
  • Comment
  • Data
  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Marketing
  • Awards
  • Jobs

Menu

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • National Newspapers
  • Regional Newspapers
  • Digital Journalism
  • Broadcast Journalism
  • Media Law
  • Magazines
  • Wires and Agencies
  • Obituaries
  • News
  • Comment/Analysis
  • Jobs
  • British Journalism Awards

In the news

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
Close
Jon Snow bags six-minute eve of election interview with May for Channel 4 after cross-UK 'chase'
Sun sales boosted as anti-Corbyn front page prompts bin and burn protests
June 8, 2017
  • Broadcast Journalism
  •    
  • News
  •    
  • Social media
  •    

Hoax Twitter account poses as BBC journalist and posts fake news about polling stations

By James Walker Twitter

Share this

  • Tweet
  • Share 0
  • Reddit
Comments
0

A bogus Twitter account posing as a BBC journalist posted fake news about people being turned away and intimidated at UK polling stations today.

The hoax account, using the name Elliot Mecklenburg, had a screenshot of the BBC News logo as its cover photo and adopted the username @BBCElliotMeck to appear as though the account of a legitimate reporter.

Timeline

  • January 22, 2021

    BBC tops £1m on legal fees fighting equal pay and race discrimination cases

  • January 21, 2021

    BBC's Sophia Smith Galer on TikTok fame and why she's 'flummoxed' more publishers don't copy Washington Post's 'Dave'

  • January 14, 2021

    New BBC chairman says Brexit coverage was 'incredibly balanced' and calls licence fee 'least worst' option

The fraud was spotted by PA social media journalist Alastair Reid, who pointed out in a tweet that the account was created this month and used a stock picture of an unknown man as its profile picture – both giveaway signs of a fake account.

He said: “Already seeing quite a few dodgy-looking Twitter accounts trying to spread stories of problems at polling stations today #GeneralElection.”

Reid said of the hoax tweeter: “This is basically fake account 101:

  • Reverse image search profile pic
  • Search for the name
  • Check the join date
  • Check for other reports.”

The account tweeted fake reports of minorities being intimidated at polling booths in the West Midlands, and a woman in Scotland being turned away from a polling station due to a lack of disabled access.

One tweet read: “UKIP/EDL types intimidating women and minorities outside polling station in Walsall. Trying to confirm. #GeneralElection17 #Vote2017.”

Within 15 minutes of Reid’s tweet highlighting the account, Twitter had suspended it.

Press Gazette was told the BBC had no comment on the matter.

SIGN UP HERE FOR

MEDIA MONITOR

Press Gazette's weekly email providing strategic insight into the future of the media

Subscribe

Related Stories

  • 'Could that intro get any worse?': Journalists weigh in on first episode of BBC One drama Press
  • 'Taxpayer-funded propagandists' or 'vital frontline staff'? Press Gazette council PR investigation stirs debate
  • There's nothing to see here: Met Police chief ignores nearly 50 questions about use of RIPA to spy on journalists
  • NUJ faces backlash over support for statutory independent press regulator

Explore these topics

  • BBC
  • Fake news
  • Twitter
Browse, search and add journalism jobs
Comments
No comments to display

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More content

Post a job on Press Gazette

Most Popular

  1. GB News launches recruitment drive for 140 jobs and declares commitment to 'impartial journalism'
  2. GDPR Adtech GDPR: Watchdog warns all UK companies involved in adtech to 'urgently assess how they use personal data'
  3. most popular newspapers UK UK national newspaper ABCs: Mail on Sunday reports smallest circulation decline in December 2020
  4. Are images for social media copyrighted Taking photos from social media: What news publishers need to know
  5. Barbara Blake-Hannah Fremantle Barbara Blake-Hannah urges media giant Fremantle to 'repair the racist wrong' done by Thames in 1968

Latest Jobs

  • Journalist-at-large, Local Trust
  • Global Witness logo investigative journalist job Investigation Officer (Forests), Global Witness
  • Editor in Chief, Scottish Sun
Sun sales boosted as anti-Corbyn front page prompts bin and burn protests

© copyright 2021 Press Gazette Ltd. Made in Taiwan.