Hundreds of suicides were linked to the “Blue Whale Challenge” – but what’s the truth behind the claims?
The challenge was described as an online game, where participates were given 50 tasks to perform over 50 days. A report in independent Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta linked the game to 130 teenage suicides, and a 21-year-old man who was arrested in a case related to the challenge pled guilty and is currently in a Russian prison. But others are sceptical that the challenge can definitively be blamed for the tragedies. And in a twist, researchers say the game may not have even existed in before the initial media reports.
Presenter: Mike Wendling
Reporter: Ant Adeane
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill
Photo Caption: A blue plastic toy whale
Photo Credit: Getty Images
When The Faker Met The Fact Checker
The conclusion of our story about two men on opposing sides in the war against misinformation. Fake news writer Christopher Blair finds that the money is drying up because of Facebook algorithm changes, and he’s constantly being hunted by fact-checkers. Meanwhile in Belgium, Maarten Schenk gets a handle on viral misinformation and online lies. It seems like they would be natural enemies. So what happens when they get the chance to speak to each other?
Presenter: Michael Wendling
Reporter/Producer: Anisa Subedar
Photo Caption: Fake News v Facts on a computer keyboard
Photo Credit: Getty Images
The Faker and the Fact Checker
Anisa Subedar meets two men positioned on opposing sides in the war against fake news. American Christopher Blair makes his living by making up online news stories, and Belgian Maarten Schenk is dedicated to debunking them. The two appear to be natural rivals, but is everything as it first seems?
Presenter: Michael Wendling
Reporter: Anisa Subedar
(Photo: Fake News headline typed with a typewriter. Credit: Getty Images)
A ‘Manspreading’ Video And Russia’s Culture Wars
A protest against “manspreading” went viral in Russia – but is it Russian propaganda? Activist Anna Dovgalyuk denies that she staged a stunt where a woman was filmed throwing diluted bleach at the crotches of men whose legs were sprawled out over multiple seats on the St Petersburg Metro. But media reports suggested one of the men was an actor, and a European Union website has described the film as “staged Kremlin propaganda”. So, is it real or just a hoax? And how does it fit into a larger pattern of Russian social media bots and trolls stoking culture wars online?
Reporter: Marco Silva
Producer: Anisa Subedar
(Photo: Screenshot from the ‘manspreading’ video that went viral in Russia. Credit: Anna Dovgalyuk)
The Men Who Hunt Stolen Motorbikes
In Bristol, in the south-west of England, motorbike theft is rife, and criminals use social media to brag about their exploits and even extort money from their victims.
But some bikers, sick of losing their treasured possessions, have started to take matters into their own hands.
They’ve formed a Facebook group to try to hunt down stolen motorbikes. And using the tips from group members, they try to hunt down the stolen motorbikes and reunite them with their owners.
But will their plan work?
Presenters: Jonathan Griffin, Natalia Zuo
Producer: Anisa Subedar
Studio Manager: James Beard
Photo Caption: Volunteer motorbike hunters Martin Bailey and Domonik Wojcik of Stolen Motorcycle Recovery Bristol prepare to track down stolen goods
Photo Credit: BBC