Fake Harrogate news is real

Dear Stray Ferret reader,

Charging for local news isn’t easy – in the past we used to buy a local paper without resenting handing over a few pounds to the newsagent. But times have changed and people now feel very differently.

One reason why people complain about paying is that they follow a local Facebook group or Instagram account and feel it tells them everything they need to know. They accuse the Stray Ferret of being greedy by charging for information they can get elsewhere. 

Are we? What is the value of subscribing? Why not just follow a local Facebook group?

The real value lies in accuracy and trust. Stray Ferret journalists don’t just post stories without thoroughly checking the facts. Our job, our reason to exist even, is to give the public reliable information that helps them. Every journalist at the Stray Ferret has been through years of training with the sole purpose of getting it right.

And I believe, in these unsettling times, there is real value to the whole community in that.

Last week, North Yorkshire Police urged the public to only read news from “trusted accounts" after very disturbing images of a beaten a two year old child were posted on a local Facebook account called HARROGATE – which is followed by 52,000 people.

On the face of it, the story looks convincing, doesn’t it? It looks local, saying the little boy had been found in Harrogate and had been taken to the police station, but no one had claimed him. Unsurprisingly, the post spread alarm and questions from group followers. But followers need not have worried, it was totally fake. 

There have been many examples of these types of posts and scams that have caught readers out. Now with AI, it’s so easy for this type of content to be created. And it looks so real. It’s extremely worrying and one of the significant downsides of social media and digital technology. 

To get the real story, to read a story that has been checked, researched, is balanced, accurate and information you can trust, you need a journalist and a publication you trust.

Fake posts, rumour and speculation can spread disinformation and are easy to produce and post on social media groups, however well group admins try to monitor and stop them. On occasions, these posts can lead to serious civil unrest as we witnessed in Southport. 

A strong local newspaper, produced by trained journalists, can help communities. It provides a place where people can turn to for local information they can trust.

To help build this trust, the Stray Ferret is accountable. If we get it wrong you can take legal action against us or complain to our external regulator, Impress. Better still,  you can call us or come to the office in the centre of Harrogate and see us in person. Good luck trying to find who or what was behind the fake Harrogate “story” of the beaten toddler.

The reality is, though, it costs money to employ journalists and build a website, so we have to charge to stay afloat. 

To date, the Stray Ferret has 2,500 subscribers. We cost around 14p a day.

Our target is 5,000 subscribers. So we need more people to see the value of local journalism to the whole community as well as to themselves. Please subscribe. I promise you, you will never feel more informed.

If you are already subscribed, thank you. You are helping us provide reliable and trustworthy local information that everyone benefits from. 

SUBSCRIBE HERE TO GET THE FULL STORY 

Tamsin O'Brien is a former Head of BBC Yorkshire and is the founder of the Stray Ferret