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Government departments are closely monitoring social media and keeping detailed reports on the issues that have criticized and praised them during the pandemic.
Through Freedom of Information requests, the You’ve seen hundreds of pages of analysis from the Department of Health and the Department of Education on Twitter, Reddit, and message board activity on topics related to their departments.
Despite hundreds of pages of analysis, only two are dedicated to misinformation.
Most of the analysis ranges from topics such as the popularity of the 6 p.m. news, concerns about Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan, and the queues at garden centers, to more contentious topics such as outbreaks in the supply. direct, anti-masking sentiment and opposition to social distancing. .
There is a large focus on journalists’ activity throughout the reports, as well as anecdotal stories about how Covid-19 is affecting different parts of society.
Certain journalists or columnists appear repeatedly in the Health Department’s analysis, including, but not limited to, staff from the , RTÉ, Newstalk, Virgin Media, as well as other major newspapers and public figures.
The Health Department says the reports “do not select specific people” but rather “capture the dominant trending topics on social media that day based on the volume of engagement.” However, some of the included tweets have fewer than 30 interactions.
Notable health professionals, including Dr. Holohan, are widely featured, as is Dr. Maithiú Ó Tuthuail, who later found himself at the center of a political scandal over leaked documents.
Activists Dr. Ilona Duffy, John Wall and Vicky Phelan are featured in the analysis of critical tweets about cancer screenings.
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