Are we being watched on GN by the press?

Surely no one is daft enough on GN to post photos of themselves or their family?

Photos of cats, dogs, gardens, cakes, craft, holidays are hardly of great interest to the outside readership. Someone would have to be pretty clever to work those out as someone they know.

DMail recently published an article that was based on a thread of tweets, giving the name of the person who'd posted, and without her permission used her photos including her profile photo. She was looking at legal redress as photos are copyright unless the source is credited. I don't remember them ever mentioning Twitter. They didn't include screen shots.

I guess this is why some GNers send private messages in response to an OP - provided the OP isn’t fake of course.

Journalists like a spot of conflict, it attracts readers. They and reporters have to fill the insatiable maw of the public (not you, Mawbe!) with tasty titbits, and they soon run out of friends and neighbours to write about, so where else can they get their stories from but other media sites?

If you don't want your private life and what you said in an angry moment discussed the length of the country, don't post about it on social media! It is clearly stated on Gransnet that this is an open site and posts can be read by anyone with access to the internet, and that is repeated on the threads again and again.

I doubt whether journalists are particularly interested in the political leanings of GNs or their views on the vaccine etc because social networks are full of heated discussions on these topics. No, what they want are stories of internal strife within families, juicy DiL type discussions, scandalous behaviour of the 65+! I feel sorry for those GNs who sometimes go to great lengths to give advice to someone who has clearly planted a "suspect" fake thread for whatever reason.

That's right MawB, and they even admitted it!

I remember an incident a couple of years or so ago where a new poster wrote a supposedly funny account of an incident concerning the royal family. I can't remember the details but most of us commented that it was banal and inappropriate.

The poster was a journalist and a report about it appeared in the DM. I think we were portrayed as a load of humourless old biddies (or words to that effect)

She clearly couldn't write an amusing article if you held a gun to her head but never let the truth get in the way of a devious set up.

We were warned about this ages ago. I try to be very careful about what I post.

I think we are. And yeah, we need to be aware because GN is open for everyone to read.

BlueBelle

Of course we know that happens 25Avalon
I believe sometimes the ‘suspect’ fake threads we worry about are journalists revving up some juicy answers

Not only “suspect”, there was an instance earlier this year wasn’t there where the “author” of a thread then revealed its contents in detail in a newspaper article I think in the SW.
We do need to be aware - this is not like pouring your heart out to a close friend who will respect confidences alas!

Of course we know that happens 25Avalon
I believe sometimes the ‘suspect’ fake threads we worry about are journalists revving up some juicy answers

I'm constantly amazed that poster put up personal posts referring to a family/ personal conflict.
Its an open forum Of course newspapers pick up stories.

Naturellement.
The journalists are free to pick comments, sometimes out of context, and use them. They can also sign up as members and pose questions or create discussions to fuel their own writings.

I think it is a given, some of the moderators are journalists aren't they ?

I thought we all knew that.
The matter has been raised before and we were warned that it is a public forum, we sign away our rights to privacy by posting so be careful what you put out there.