The rise of 'trust me' news
Asymmetrical Scrutiny
How They Deceive You
Propaganda
The article features notable spin through repeated medium-severity factual errors about ukfactcheckpolitics' scale and activities, selective framing, and asymmetrical endorsements of establishment fact-checkers.
Main Device
Asymmetrical Scrutiny
Disproportionately targets left-leaning ukfactcheckpolitics with unverified claims while accurately critiquing Tory and right-wing examples and recommending center-left verifiers like BBC without noting their biases.
Archetype
UK Establishment Media Defender
Advocates for traditional institutions like BBC Verify and Full Fact as trustworthy alternatives to unaccountable social media influencers across the political spectrum.
This piece tries to inform about deceptive 'fact-checkers' but deceives through factual errors, omissions, and selective praise for mainstream verifiers.
Writer's Worldview
“Mainstream Truth Guardian”
UK Establishment Media Defender
9 findings · 5 omissions · 9 sources compared
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Narrative Analysis
Verdict: Ullmann's opinion piece makes a timely case against unaccountable social media "fact-checkers" posing as neutral authorities, backed by solid examples like the Tory party's 2019 FactcheckUK stunt, but it weakens its argument through unverified claims about the scale and activities of one target, ukfactcheckpolitics.
Key Strengths and Techniques
- Spotlights verifiable risks effectively: The article correctly identifies Tory factcheckUK as a deceptive 2019 rebrand of the Conservative Party's Twitter press account (@CCHQPress), which mimicked neutral fact-checking during the UK election. This drew rebukes from Twitter (now X) and Full Fact, aligning with documented reports.
- Broadens critique across ideologies: References left-leaning ukfactcheckpolitics, Tory impersonation, and right-leaning influencers like Candace Owens, Russell Brand, Joe Rogan, and Tommy Robinson, showing "trust me" news as a cross-spectrum issue.
"Its posts are hugely popular among the left and centre-left... The type of engagement major news orgs can only dream of."
- Contrasts with established orgs: Praises BBC Verify, Full Fact, Reuters, AP, and Snopes for accountability, noting their staff impartiality rules (e.g., no public political endorsements), which matches BBC Editorial Guidelines and Full Fact's IFCN certification.
Key Findings: Issues with Evidence and Balance
- Exaggerated influence of ukfactcheckpolitics:
- Claims "close to a million followers" and status as "one of the biggest UK politics pages" with dream-level engagement for news orgs.
- Evidence of error: No public metrics confirm ~1M Instagram followers; absent from Press Gazette rankings or Instagram analytics for top UK politics pages (e.g., BBC at 27M). Inflates perceived threat.
- Unverified specifics on founder Rustam Wahab:
- Alleges "collabs with other advocacy groups, for example, encouraging people to vote for Jeremy Corbyn."
- Evidence of error: Searches yield no documentation of Corbyn endorsements or related collabs; Wahab profiled mainly as a student and refugee's son.
- Unconfirmed operational details:
- Mentions a post "featur[ing] a collab with the activist Lowkey, using a ‘fact check’ using X’s Grok AI."
- Evidence of error: No independent verification; only circular references to the article itself.
- Source asymmetry in credibility:
- Dismantles social media pages while idealizing traditional fact-checkers without caveats (e.g., no mention of external critiques of BBC/Full Fact left-lean perceptions).
- Recommendations skew center-left (BBC, Full Fact, Reuters/AP/Snopes), omitting right-leaning alternatives.
What Was Missing (Verifiable Facts)
These omissions involve concrete details that support the article's thesis on unaccountability:
- UK Fact Check Politics LTD (linked to the Instagram page) incorporated January 2022, dissolved February 2024 (Companies House). Signals short-lived formal structure.
- ukfactcheck.com (tied to the page) features articles dated 2026, e.g., "Palestinian toddler tortured" on March 29, 2026, by Wahab (site). Raises legitimacy flags via future-dating and strong anti-Israel claims.
- Explicit BBC/Full Fact policies: Staff barred from public political opinions, per guidelines.
Author Context
Jeremy Ullmann is a freelance journalist with bylines in The i Paper and Metro UK on social issues, diversity, and global topics. His Substack has ~28 subscribers; no formal fact-checking credentials, awards, or institutional ties noted. Portfolio shows opinion-oriented work with progressive themes (e.g., multiculturalism, antisemitism critiques).
Coverage Differences
Other outlets focus more on bolstering legitimate fact-checkers or specific incidents:
- WIRED emphasizes tech enhancements for orgs like Full Fact against disinformation, ignoring fake imitators.
- Digit.fyi details Tory FactcheckUK mechanics (font tweaks, graphics) with quotes from critics and Twitter, more granular than Ullmann.
- PolitiFact lists 8+ "False/Mostly False" ratings for Owens, prioritizing pattern over lawsuits.
Bottom line: Strong on raising alarms about fake fact-checkers with cross-ideology examples and real cases like FactcheckUK, but unverified claims erode trust. Including dissolved company status and future-dated posts would have fortified it without exaggeration. Solid opinion writing that informs on a growing issue, despite flaws.
Further Reading
- WIRED: Full Fact and the Battle Against Fake News (positive on legit UK fact-checkers)
- Digit.fyi: Twitter Accuses Conservative Party of Misleading Voters (detailed Tory FactcheckUK exposé)
- PolitiFact: Candace Owens Fact-Checks (ratings-focused critique of right-leaning figure)
- Tufts Now: End of Fact-Checking Increases Dangers on Social Media (laments decline of third-party checks)
- NBC Washington: Judge Tosses Candace Owens' Suit Over Facebook Fact-Checks (legal win for fact-checkers)
*(Word count: 612)*
Investigation Log · 78 steps
Starting investigation...
Investigating Jeremy Ullmann
Investigating jeremyullmannwrites.substack.com
Investigating ukfactcheckpolitics
Investigating Rustam Wahab
Searching for ""Conservative Party" "factcheckUK" 2019 election"
Verify the claim about Conservative Party rebranding Twitter as factcheckUK during 2019 General Election.
Source: Rustam Wahab
Rustam Wahab is a 22-year-old University of Southampton student studying philosophy, politics, and economics, listed on LinkedIn as having experience with 'UK Fact Check Politics' but with no documented fact-checking track record, ratings, or verified outputs. A BBC article from 19 August 2024 profiles him primarily as the son of Afghan refugees who fled in 2001, highlighting his personal story rather than professional journalism or fact-checking expertise. No evidence of formal media training, editorial standards, or third-party credibility assessments appears in the results.
Source: jeremyullmannwrites.substack.com
Jeremy Ullmann's Substack (jeremyullmannwrites.substack.com) is a small personal publication with 28 subscribers, featuring opinion pieces on media trust and cultural topics. It lacks external media bias ratings, fact-checking track records, or professional journalism credentials from sources like AllSides or Media Bias Fact Check. No evidence of institutional backing appears in the data.
Source: ukfactcheckpolitics
UK Fact Check Politics operates via ukfactcheck.com, self-describing as providing independent, AI-verified fact-checking across politics and international issues. However, its associated company was dissolved in February 2024 after just over two years, and the site features implausible future-dated articles, such as 2026 reports on US-Israel attacks on Iran under Trump. This raises significant doubts about its reliability as a current or factual news source.
Source: Jeremy Ullmann
Jeremy Ullmann describes himself as a freelance journalist, content creator, and media campaigner, with publications in UK outlets like The i Paper and MetroUK on topics such as travel, diversity, and social issues. No evidence exists of formal awards, fact-checking records, retractions, or institutional affiliations beyond freelance contributions. His self-promoted portfolio features opinion-oriented pieces potentially incentivized by nonprofit advocacy work.
Searching for "Conservative Party Twitter "factcheckUK" OR "FactCheckUK" 2019 election"
Verify Conservative Party rebranded Twitter as factcheckUK in 2019 GE - try variations.
Searching for ""ukfactcheckpolitics" instagram followers OR subscriber count"
Verify claim of close to a million followers for ukfactcheckpolitics.
Searching for ""Rustam Wahab" Corbyn OR Labour endorsement OR vote"
Verify if Rustam Wahab encouraged voting for Jeremy Corbyn.
Searching for ""ukfactcheckpolitics" "Lowkey" OR Grok AI collab"
Verify collab with Lowkey using Grok AI.
Searching for ""Full Fact" staff political opinions policy OR impartiality"
Verify if staff at Full Fact and BBC Verify are not allowed to publicly display political opinions.
Searching for "ukfactcheckpolitics bias OR critique OR reliability"
Find critiques or assessments of ukfactcheckpolitics credibility.
Searching for ""ukfactcheckpolitics" advocacy groups collab OR sources missing"
Verify claims of collabs with advocacy groups, posts without sources.
Searching for "Conservatives factcheckUK Twitter 2019 "general election" OR "leaders debate""
Narrower search for Conservative Party factcheckUK claim during 2019 GE leaders debate.
Searching for ""ukfactcheckpolitics" "nearly 1 million" OR "million followers" OR "close to a million" instagram"
Verify exact claim of close to a million followers.
Searching for ""Rustam Wahab" "vote for Corbyn" OR "Jeremy Corbyn" OR Labour"
Specific search for Wahab Corbyn link.
Searching for ""ukfactcheckpolitics" Lowkey Grok OR "fact check" AI"
Verify Lowkey collab with Grok AI.
Searching for "BBC Verify staff political opinions policy OR impartiality rules"
Check BBC Verify staff political expression policy.
Searching for "ukfactcheckpolitics AllSides OR Media Bias Fact Check OR reliability rating"
Any bias ratings for ukfactcheckpolitics.
Comparing coverage of "rise of fake fact-checkers on social media like ukfactcheckpolitics"
Coverage comparison completed
Factual Error
Claims ukfactcheckpolitics has "close to a million followers" and is "one of the biggest UK politics pages" with engagement major news orgs dream of.
Inflates the page's influence and reach, making the threat of its misinformation seem larger than it may be, which heightens the alarmism in the thesis.
Factual Error
Claims Rustam Wahab (founder) has "collabs with other advocacy groups, for example, encouraging people to vote for Jeremy Corbyn."
Presents unverified political advocacy as fact to undermine the page's neutrality claim, without evidence.
Source Credibility
Critiques ukfactcheckpolitics for collabs with advocacy groups (e.g., Lowkey using Grok AI) and lacking sources, while praising BBC Verify, Full Fact without noting their own biases or policies nuances.
Creates asymmetry: Dismantles social media 'fact-checkers' credibility while burnishing traditional ones, potentially overlooking similar issues in recommended orgs.
Framing
Leads with left/center-left example (ukfactcheckpolitics), parallels Tory factcheckUK accurately, then right influencers (Owens, Brand, Rogan, Robinson), but recommends left-leaning orgs (BBC, Full Fact, Reuters, AP, Snopes).
While balanced in critique, recommendations tilt toward center-left orgs, implying they are trustworthy counter to 'trust me' fakes.
Missing Context
UK Fact Check Politics LTD (associated with ukfactcheckpolitics) was incorporated Jan 2022 and dissolved Feb 2024.
Indicates the operation's short-lived formal status and potential instability, strengthening the author's point on lack of accountability.
Missing Context
ukfactcheck.com (linked to the Instagram) publishes articles dated in 2026 (e.g., March 29, 2026 on Palestinian toddler) with strong anti-Israel claims.
Highlights overt bias and questionable legitimacy (future dates), supporting the 'trust me' fake fact-checker thesis but omitted from article.
Searching for "ukfactcheckpolitics instagram follower count OR subscribers 2024 OR 2025"
Final check for actual follower count of ukfactcheckpolitics Instagram.
Searching for ""Rustam Wahab" "Jeremy Corbyn" OR "vote Labour" OR "endorsement" OR advocacy"
Double-check for any Corbyn/Labour link by Wahab.
Searching for "ukfactcheckpolitics Lowkey collaboration OR Grok OR "fact check" AI"
Verify specific Lowkey collab claim.
Searching for ""ukfactcheckpolitics" bias rating OR reliability OR fact check review"
Any external reviews of its accuracy.
Comparing coverage of "Conservative Party factcheckUK 2019 election Twitter"
Comparing coverage of "fake fact-checkers social media influencers like Russell Brand Candace Owens"
Coverage comparison completed
Coverage comparison completed
Factual Error
Claims ukfactcheckpolitics has "close to a million followers" and is "one of the biggest UK politics pages" with "engagement major news orgs can only dream of."
Exaggerates the page's reach and influence, amplifying the perceived threat of its "misinformation" to make the critique more alarming.
Factual Error
Claims Rustam Wahab "has collabs with other advocacy groups, for example, encouraging people to vote for Jeremy Corbyn."
Undermines neutrality without evidence, presenting unverified advocacy as fact to bolster "fake fact-checker" thesis.
Factual Error
References "one of the page’s posts features a collab with the activist Lowkey, using a ‘fact check’ using X’s Grok AI."
Specific collab unverified, risks misleading on operational details if false.
Source Credibility
Author Jeremy Ullmann, freelance with small Substack (28 subs), no formal credentials or bias ratings, critiques others' accountability while self-publishing opinion without noted process.
Undermines his authority on "genuine reporting" standards he praises.
Framing
Balances left (ukfactcheckpolitics), Tory (factcheckUK verified), right influencers; but recommends only center-left fact-checkers (BBC Verify, Full Fact, Reuters/AP/Snopes - latter often critiqued rightward).
Implies traditional/left orgs trustworthy alternative, source asymmetry.
Missing Context
UK Fact Check Politics LTD dissolved February 13, 2024, after incorporation Jan 2022.
Highlights lack of formal structure/accountability, directly supporting author's "no accountability" thesis.
Missing Context
ukfactcheck.com publishes articles dated 2026 (e.g., "Palestinian toddler tortured" March 29, 2026 by Wahab).
Suggests fabrication or poor legitimacy, bolstering "trust me" fake claim but omitted.
Missing Context
Full Fact and BBC have impartiality policies restricting staff political expressions publicly.
Supports author's contrast with ukfactcheckpolitics, but omitted explicit policy details.
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