Sentience, fake news and where the future lies
On 16th November, Farming UK published an article entitled, ‘MPs vote to reject inclusion of animal sentience in Withdrawal Bill’. This story was picked up by The Independent newspaper, and became the ‘most viral politics article of 2017’. Celebrities such as Sue Perkins, Ben Fogle and Ricky Gervais retweeted and shared their thoughts on the story that told us MPs didn't care about animals' feelings. Online petitions amassed outrage and signatures in a matter of days. Soon after, The Independent had to update ‘its coverage to ensure it was accurate’.