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Sian Bayley

@sleighbayley.bsky.social
51 followers 86 following 5 posts

Senior News and Online Journalist at FullFact | Previously The Bookseller, BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service and Evening Standard | Views Own www.sianbayley.com

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Sian Bayley @sleighbayley.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
For the last five months the @fullfact.org team has been asking AI chatbots about false claims circulating online before we publish our fact checks. We found the LLMs often parroted the misinformation we're trying to combat. Read more about our experiment here 👇
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 26/08/2026
A fake council letter has gone viral claiming that Bexley residents should keep their daughters inside when a group of asylum seekers move to the area. Bexley Council has confirmed it didn’t send the letter, and police are now investigating. fullfact.org/immigration/...
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 17/08/2026
We’ve seen claims circulating online that the brushes used in cervical smear tests are sterilised in “cancer-causing” ethylene oxide. Although overexposure to this chemical can be dangerous, medical devices sterilised with it are not unsafe. fullfact.org/health/brush...
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 07/07/2026
A video of a ‘migrant’ on a small boat has been altered using AI to make it appear as if he’s waving a machete. The fake video has been shared thousands of times online, including by the leader of the London Assembly Conservatives, Susan Hall.
fullfact.org
Video of man waving machete on small boat isn’t real – Full Fact
A viral video apparently showing a migrant on a small boat has been altered using artificial intelligence to make it appear as if he’s waving a machete.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 03/06/2026
Incorrect names for two police officers involved in the arrest of Henry Nowak have been circulating online. Hampshire Police Federation has confirmed Christi Hill and Tristan Parsons were not involved in the incident.
fullfact.org
Incorrect names for police officers involved in Henry Nowak arrest circulate online – Full Fact
Hampshire Police Federation has confirmed Christi Hill and Tristan Parsons were not involved in the incident.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 26/05/2026
Social media posts claiming that Dorset Police said 44% of sex offences are carried out by asylum seekers living in asylum hotels are false. We could find no evidence this is true. Dorset Police told us the figure is “incorrect” and was not issued by them.
fullfact.org
Dorset police didn’t say 44% of sex offences are carried out by asylum seekers – Full Fact
Dorset Police said the figure is “incorrect” and was not issued by them. We could find no evidence it was true.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 08/05/2026
Posts shared thousands of times online claim hantavirus is listed as a side effect of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine. This isn’t true. Hantavirus is listed as one of many health conditions monitored during vaccine trials for safety, not a side effect. (1/2) fullfact.org/health/hanta...
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 17/04/2026
A real image posted by Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin on the campaign trail has been edited by social media users to change the supporters behind her. The edited image has a SynthID watermark, indicating it was manipulated with Google AI tools.
fullfact.org
Edited image of Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin circulates online – Full Fact
A real image posted by Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin on the campaign trail has been edited by social media users to change the supporters she’s standing with.
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Sian Bayley @sleighbayley.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
It's been a busy week at Full Fact! What's struck me most about fact checking the latest conflict in the Middle East is how many of the viral miscaptioned clips we've seen before. Full roundup here 👇https://fullfact.org/conflict/middle-east-conflict-overview/
fullfact.org
AI images, old videos and false viral claims: what to watch out for when checking posts about the Middle East on social media – Full Fact
In the last week we’ve seen a surge of misinformation relating to the war with Iran—we’ve fact checked 10 viral posts, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 02/03/2026
We're seeing a number of videos and claims circulating online amidst the conflict in the Middle East, and we’re beginning to review them. We've fact checked a miscaptioned video shared on social media which claimed to show explosions in Tel Aviv. (1/3)
fullfact.org
Video shows 2015 explosions in China, not Tel Aviv – Full Fact
A miscaptioned video has been shared on social media with claims it shows explosions in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.
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Sian Bayley @sleighbayley.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
These videos have been flooding Facebook and TikTok in recent months and while many people will dismiss them as silly shallowfakes, the number of shares some of these clips are getting suggest a sizeable number of people believe them. My latest for @fullfact.org
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Steve Nowottny @stevenowottny.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
🚨 NEW: @fullfact.org's now updated its Government Tracker to reflect the impact of #Budget2025 on Labour's tax pledges. Getting the logic right on this is tricky, but we're now rating the different elements of its headline pledge as below 👇
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 05/11/2025
Grok and Google Lens AI overviews have been claiming that fake imagery shows the Huntingdon train attack. Grok told users one AI-generated image, of an injured man lying in a carriage, “appears to be a genuine photo”. Our fact check 👇
fullfact.org
Grok and Google Lens AI overviews claim fake imagery shows Huntingdon train attack – Full Fact
Grok told users one AI-generated image “appears to be a genuine photo”, while a Google Lens AI overview linked a video which does not show real footage of the incident to Saturday’s stabbings.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 20/10/2025
A clip that appears to show Conservative MP George Freeman announcing his defection to Reform UK isn’t real and was very likely made using artificial intelligence. The MP said the video is “entirely fake and false”.
fullfact.org
Video of George Freeman MP announcing defection to Reform UK is fake – Full Fact
A clip that appears to show Conservative MP George Freeman saying he is joining Reform UK isn’t real, and was likely made using artificial intelligence.
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Sian Bayley @sleighbayley.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Will going abroad four times a year flag you to HMRC for ‘enhanced customs monitoring’? And is a council really fining people for sitting too long on public benches? I've been working on an investigation into fake stories about the government spreading on social media👇
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Steve Nowottny @stevenowottny.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Great investigation here from @sleighbayley.bsky.social looking at a new trend in online misinformation - we've seen dozens of these videos across social media in recent weeks
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 16/06/2025
A video circulating on social media claims to show an Iranian drone attack on Israel. But this video is from 2022 and shows a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. buff.ly/NMAipBX
fullfact.org
Old video of Kyiv drone attack shared as recent footage of Israel-Iran conflict – Full Fact
The video has been horizontally flipped.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 11/06/2025
We’ve fact checked claims from today’s Spending Review on: 💷 departmental budgets 🧮 fiscal rules 🏥 NHS appointments 🚔 policing …and much more. See our full round-up 👇
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2025 Spending Review: fact checked – Full Fact
We’ve taken a look at key claims from the Labour government’s first Spending Review.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 10/06/2025
A video is being shared on social media with claims it shows the recent anti-ICE protests in LA, but it actually dates back to May 2020 and shows protests in the city in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.
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Old video shared with claims it shows recent US anti-immigration enforcement protests – Full Fact
The footage actually dates back to May 2020 when protests erupted in LA after the killing of George Floyd.
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Sian Bayley @sleighbayley.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
This week marks my first year anniversary at Full Fact, which neatly ties in with this piece I wrote for our #FactsMatter campaign.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 01/04/2025
At Full Fact, journalist Evie fights misinformation—from debunking deepfakes to investigating conspiracy theories. Her work stops online misinformation from fuelling real-world harm. That’s why #FactsMatter to her.
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From deepfakes to conspiracy theories: a day in the life of a News and Online Journalist at Full Fact - Full Fact
As part of our #FactsMatter campaign, News and Online Journalist Evie Townend explains her role, and shares the best and worst parts of working at Full Fact.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 01/04/2025
Claims about how much MPs get paid after losing their seats are circulating on social media. But what payments do defeated MPs or those who stand down actually receive? Full Fact takes a look 👇 #FactsMatter
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MPs’ ‘winding-up’ payment is for four months not six after they lose seats - Full Fact
MPs are eligible for a ‘winding-up’ payment equivalent to four months’ salary after they leave Parliament following an election.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 07/01/2025
🗣️ Our full statement in response to Meta ending its third-party fact checking programme in the US: fullfact.org/blog/2025/ja...
Meta’s decision to end its partnership with fact checkers in the US is disappointing and a backwards step that risks a chilling effect around the world.

From safeguarding elections to protecting public health to dissipating potential unrest on the streets, fact checkers are first responders in the information environment. Locking fact checkers out of the conversation won’t help society to turn the tide on rapidly rising misinformation.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 03/12/2024
🎉 The Big Give Christmas Challenge is live! 🕒 For one week only, every donation = DOUBLE the impact. Join the fight against bad information today:
fullfact.org
Double your donation - Full Fact
Your donation will be doubled.
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 20/11/2024
🚨 We've launched an exciting new project to track the government’s progress on Labour’s manifesto pledges. Initially, it looks at 43 pledges but we’ll be adding more in the weeks ahead *and* updating it regularly. 🗣️This is just the start and we'd love to hear your feedback!
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Government Tracker - Full Fact
Full Fact tracks Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledges
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