Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WHIL is off the air and WUAL is broadcasting on limited power. Engineers are aware and working on a solution.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival Enter for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

International podcast conducts investigation in Alabama

Facebook

Alabama is involved in a new investigation by the BBC.

Larry is a 71-year-old retired Alabama insurance broker who likes Donald Trump. However, he’s not real. Larry was part of an investigation by a BBC podcast on disinformation and it’s causing controversy.

The news network created fake social media profiles to see what information websites like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok would send them. The BBC says Larry’s profile received conservative leaning posts on subjects like the false claim that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen.

The network’s investigation is prompting criticism about using false information to expose false information.

News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.