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The Light (newspaper)

For other uses, see The Light.

The Light
Founded27 September 2020 (2020-09-27)
LanguageEnglish
Websitethelightpaper.co.uk
Free online archivesYes
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The Light is a self-published, monthly British far-right and conspiracy theory newspaper founded by Darren Scott Nesbitt (frequently under the pseudonym Darren Smith) on 27 September 2020,[1] which claims the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax. The paper has a sister publication, named The Irish Light, which was launched in Ireland by Gemma O'Doherty and John Waters.[2] A free Australian paper, The Light Australia, started around June 2023 and is linked to The Light.

The paper has been criticised for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial and death threats.[12][13] It regularly prints articles written by conspiracy theorist Vernon Coleman,[1] and according to a review from Harvard Kennedy School "includes content that is aimed at prompting participation and activism amongst adherents of conspiracy theories, rather than simply presenting information".[10]

The paper has called for executions of journalists, politicians and doctors, leading it to being described by Dave Renton as a 'far-right propaganda sheet'[14] whilst other investigative groups have described it as containing 'extremist propaganda'.[15][16][17][18]

Although the company behind the paper was dissolved on 15 February 2021,[19] the BBC reported in June 2023 that at least 100,000 copies of The Light were being printed each month and that the publication had more than 18,000 followers on the social media site Telegram.[20][21]

  1. ^ a b Waterson, Jim (27 November 2020). "How an anti-lockdown 'truthpaper' bypasses online factcheckers". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  2. ^ Bracken, Ali (1 August 2021). "Anti-vaccine paper pushes 'conspiracy propaganda'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  3. ^ Gourlay, Kris (1 March 2022). "Furious Edinburgh M&S shopper spots 'anti-vax' newspaper displayed in store". Edinburgh Live. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  4. ^ Felton, James (29 January 2022). "Stroud residents challenge The Light's 'support for Holocaust Denial'". Stroud News & Journal. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  5. ^ Pritchett, Mark (29 January 2021). "Anti-vaccine paper 'pedals conspiracy theory madness'". Wellington Weekly News. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Covid-19 leaflets: How pandemic disinformation went offline". BBC News. 20 March 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  7. ^ Felton, James (30 September 2022). "Protest against controversial newspaper in Stroud". Stroud News & Journal. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  8. ^ Derrick, Maya (11 January 2023). "Fury as anti-vax conspiracy newspaper delivered to Norwich homes". Norwich Evening News. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  9. ^ Davies, Philippa (24 January 2023). "Conspiracy 'newspaper' being distributed around Sidmouth". Sidmouth Herald. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b Dacombe, Rod; Souter, Nicole; Westerlund, Lumi (17 September 2021). "Research note: Understanding offline Covid-19 conspiracy theories: A content analysis of The Light "truthpaper"". Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review. doi:10.37016/mr-2020-80. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  11. ^ Lawrence, David (30 June 2022). "Turning Off "The Light": the conspiracist newspaper promoting the far right". Hope Not Hate. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  12. ^ [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
  13. ^ Farber, Alex (5 August 2023). "Antivax newspaper has links to far-right groups". The Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  14. ^ Bartholomew, Jem. "A conspiracy newspaper tries to find an audience in Britain". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Sainsbury's apologises after conspiracy newspapers found in stores". BBC News. 13 July 2023. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  16. ^ Spring, Marianna (6 August 2023). "The Irish Light: Woman abused by paper which falsely said vaccine killed her son". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  17. ^ Bartholomew, Jem (28 November 2023). "A conspiracy newspaper tries to find an audience in Britain". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  18. ^ Farber, Alex (16 June 2024). "Antivax newspaper has links to far-right groups". The Times. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  19. ^ Felton, James (22 February 2021). "Company behind 'controversial newspaper' The Light dissolves". Stroud News and Journal. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  20. ^ Spring, Marianna (11 June 2023). "The Light: Inside The UK's Conspiracy Theory Newspaper That Shares Violence And Hate". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  21. ^ Farber, Alex (2 July 2023). "Antivax newspaper claims to print 150,000 copies a month". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.

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