Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

Radio 4,31 Jan 2024,29 mins,

SeriesWhy Do You Hate Me?

1. I Regret Posting Online That I Was Madeleine McCann

Marianna in Conspiracyland
Contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

Available for over a year

When Julia Wandelt posted on social media that she believed she was Madeleine McCann, she became a lightning rod for online anger. In the first of a new series exploring extraordinary cases of online hate and the possibility of forgiveness, Marianna Spring, the BBC's Disinformation and social media correspondent, speaks to Julia about her motives and regrets. Listen to more episodes of Why Do You Hate Me on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. For this series, Marianna Spring (one of the most trolled BBC journalists) dives into her inbox and investigates a different extraordinary case of online hate to find out. She meets the people at the heart of these conflicts, and in some cases brings them together, to see if understanding - even forgiveness - is ever possible. Subscribe to BBC Sounds to hear the episodes first. And watch the episodes on BBC iPlayer too. If you have been affected by some of the issues raised in this programme, please visit bbc.co.uk/actionline. Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Sam Bonham
Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge Archive credits: Peteski Productions distributed through CBS Media Ventures.

Programme Website
More episodes