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Did you know that the government spends your money to see what certain people say about them on social media?
It turns out that various government departments have been monitoring the social media accounts of high-profile personalities, journalists, and other alleged influencers and kept detailed reports of issues criticizing and praising them throughout the pandemic.
Through Freedom of Information requests, the may disclose that the Department of Health and the Department of Education have maintained detailed monthly logs and summaries of Twitter, Reddit, and message board activity on topics related to their operations.
The Health Department initially outsourced the work from the start of the pandemic in early March to late June, while the Department of Education staff did the reviews themselves.
Despite hundreds of pages of analysis, only two are dedicated to misinformation. One reads: “Right-wing news / opinion account Gript Media tweeted today to draw attention to YouTube’s removal of an interview video in which UCD professor Dolores Cahill discredits the Covid-19 narrative.”
Most of the analysis ranges from topics such as the popularity of the 6 p.m. news, concerns about the chief physician, Dr. Tony Holohan, and queues at garden centers, to more contentious topics such as outbreaks in supply. direct, anti-masking sentiment and opposition to social distancing. .
Popular tweets are often broken down by interactions, such as one about the death of a hospital worker: “This tweet focusing on the Covid-19 related death of a St. James’ Hospital worker generated over 1,500 likes and it was retweeted more than 400 times. “, read a page.
Responses to this tweet focused primarily on the low pay for what was considered ‘essential work’, others questioned the recording of health worker deaths and some suggested that personal protective equipment was not always available to these workers. “
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 News, as well as other major newspapers and public figures.
The Health Department says the reports “did not select specific people,” but rather “captured the dominant trending topics on social media that day based on engagement volume,” however some of the included tweets have less than 30 interactions.
Accounts with no verifiable name or identity, such as’ Dublin Girlo ‘,’ Care2Much18 ‘and’ Jurassic Ass, have tweets included, among others.
Tweets from artists like Rubberbandits’ Blindboy, Irish rapper Mango, and broadcaster Muireann O’Connell have been included in the reviews.
A report on technology entrepreneur Pat Phelan states: “Entrepreneur Pat Phelan has been tweeting about his experience with an at-home antibody test. Pat is a strong advocate of widespread testing to reopen society,” along with photographs.
Another states: “Media organizations and journalists are increasingly focusing on internal knowledge and experiences with Covid-19 of healthcare professionals. journalist John Mooney made a call on Twitter for health workers to send him information about Covid-19. “
Notable health professionals, including Dr. Holohan, are widely featured, as is Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail, 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.
Journalists’ reaction to government communications decisions is also widely covered.
“Frustration and anger from journalists after the canceled Health Department briefing and no opportunity to ask questions after Leo Varadkar’s speech,” states a report before listing tweets from the Aoife Moore: “The opportunity to interrogate the next 16 weeks of Irish public policy is in the hands of Ryan Tubridy” and Vicky Phelan: “The @ RTÉLateLateShow is an entertainment program. It is NOT, and should not be, the forum through the which the Government informs us of the main decisions regarding the citizens of this State ”.
Absolutely unacceptable Seán. the @RTELateLateShow is an entertainment program. It is NOT, and should not be, the forum through which the Government informs us of the main decisions that affect the citizens of this State.
– Vicky Phelan (@PhelanVicky) May 1, 2020
Only one report covered political criticism, citing a post by a user criticizing Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty about his Covid payment plan and how much it would cost.
The report states that the user “tweeted comments from Pearse Doherty during an interview about the extension of the Covid payment. 29 responses were generated, most of which agreed.”
The April analysis showed a focus on Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave amid concerns about misinformation.
The report reads: “In the wake of yesterday’s HSE misinformation tweet, Paddy Cosgrave has shared more content, suggesting there is a ploy to discredit him.”
In June, during the Black Live Matter protests and subsequent concern about Covid-19 outbreaks linked to the gathering crowds, Green Party TD Patrick Costello was featured in the report: “Green Party TD Patrick Costello , attended the protest and tweeted to explain what social distancing looked like in most cases. “
The Department of Education reviews are less extensive and contain only summaries of tweets and messages, mostly from people who are not journalists or public figures about the back to school and Certificate of Graduation, as they did not hire an outside contractor to follow up.
“These are regularly compiled into an email format that is shared with other members of the communications team and ministerial advisers,” a spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “Communication from public health councils plays a vital role in promoting adherence to public health guidelines and is a key element in Ireland’s response to this pandemic.
“According to the WHO guidance, the Department of Health has been actively listening to the opinions and concerns of the public since the beginning of this pandemic, including conducting surveys among the general public through the Amárach survey, which is published regularly. on the department’s website here and the compilation of comments on social media and traditional media. “
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