In the wake of the Trump Administration’s clamping down on federal agencies’ distribution of information related to climate change, the media and liberal-leaning internet have been enthralled by two sets of Twitter accounts. First, by government accounts going “rogue” by spitting out scientific facts, and now by “alternative” accounts that claim to be manned by people inside the National Park Service, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency who are currently prohibited from communicating with the public.
The @AltUSNatParkService Twitter account, which describes itself as the “Unofficial #Resistance team of U.S. National Park Service” appeared Tuesday and quickly shot to more than 1 million followers, dwarfing the 384,000 users who follow the actual National Park Service. The account’s creators claim to be a group of disgruntled employees trying to oppose the moves Trump will make at the Interior Department and against science-driven policy across the government:
Mr Trump, you may have taken us down officially. But with scientific evidence & the Internet our message will get out.
— NOT ALT WORLD (@NotAltWorld) January 24, 2017
The internet was ecstatic:
I am following this group and encourage others to as well. Science, fact and reason must be heard, must win out over politics and power. https://t.co/KIVkfupagf
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 26, 2017
What an honour. We're touched! #resist pic.twitter.com/AiYp3mhBqs
— NOT ALT WORLD (@NotAltWorld) January 25, 2017
Similar accounts claiming to be gag-ordered civil servants at other agencies have appeared as well. But there’s one big problem: we don’t know who they are. Although @AltUSNatParkService’s creators claim they are based in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State, they spelled the name of the titular volcano as “Rainer.” They’ve also used traditionally British spelling of some words, like “honour” and “subsidised.” The account also appears to be rather informed about British politics.
It’s possible one of the authors could be one of the rangers’ friends overseas. It could just as easily be manned by someone pulling a viral prank, no matter how authentic the science it shares is. Despite many requests from many reporters, the account refuses to confirm its identity:
Hi @JettGoldsmith This accnt being run by several active NPS rangers and friends.
— NOT ALT WORLD (@NotAltWorld) January 25, 2017
We're sorry, but we do not feel it is safe or in the public interest to identify ourselves. We have been advised of this by svl journalists. https://t.co/9z0QEKpNNe
— NOT ALT WORLD (@NotAltWorld) January 26, 2017
How do we know anything is real? What. Is. Life? 😕 https://t.co/2kVKr7jmOl
— NOT ALT WORLD (@NotAltWorld) January 25, 2017
Unsurprisingly, the National Park Service is not the only agency with a newly popular “alternative” account tweeting in its name. Now there are accounts claiming to be the voice of silenced workers at NASA, the EPA, and something called the “US Science Service,” which is not a real agency.
Rogue Twitter accounts are fun, but gov't employees and scientists are very afraid of being fired if they speak out & share facts. #resist
— Rogue NASA (@RogueNASA) January 25, 2017
That’s cute, but unconvincing. What the account misunderstands (or deliberately ignores) is that skilled journalists would know to protect sources’ identities when necessary—dissent from the career ranks of an agency that could be gutted fiscally or turned sideways because of a new administration certainly qualifies. But a news organization should not report information from an unnamed source until it’s at least authenticated the authorship. A publication asking for proof of identity does not necessarily mean names will be published.
Otherwise this all feels a little too good to be true; something easily believed because we so desperately want to believe it. While most news organizations have carefully avoided saying the “rogue” and “alternative” accounts are real, they haven’t offered much in the way of skepticism either. And some, like CBS News and Reuters are uncritically reporting these accounts as being the work of ticked-off agency workers.
Early Thursday, the account claiming to be from stymied park rangers posted these updates:
We have decided to pass over control of this account to individuals outside of government employment for the sake of our colleagues.
— AltUSNatParkService (@AltNatParkSer) January 26, 2017
Several of us are environmental activists and two are journalists [our FACT checkers]. All of us are former scientists.
— AltUSNatParkService (@AltNatParkSer) January 26, 2017
If the new contributors really are journalists, they should know they need to reach out to other media to confirm they, and the founders, are who they say they are.
The inception point for all of this came last Friday, when the National Park Service’s official account shared a side-by-side comparison of the crowds at the 2009 and 2017 inaugurations. The Interior Department, sensing the politicization of those photos, temporarily halted all its Twitter accounts. Since resuming, nearly all have remained apolitical, churning out the usual feed of park conditions and nature photos, although the account for Badlands National Park saw its followers surge when it spent a few hours tweeting about rising atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels.
Other government agencies have also tweeted things that could be taken as subtle criticism of the Trump Administration’s first week:
Social media postings sometimes provide an important window into a person’s #mentalhealth. Know what to look for. https://t.co/B0tPAHwjVK pic.twitter.com/AbXrw2QhQd
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) January 23, 2017
2016 was the hottest year on record for the 3rd year in a row. Check out this @NASA & @NOAA report: https://t.co/rLJUC56xqipic.twitter.com/AKhFzYw6l6
— Golden Gate NPS (@GoldenGateNPS) January 23, 2017
Togo Tanaka: interned at Manzanar and Cow Creek (Death Valley) during WWII #JapaneseAmericanInternment pic.twitter.com/hvqtv6rynV
— Death Valley NP (@DeathValleyNPS) January 25, 2017
During WWII Death Valley hosted 65 endangered internees after the #Manzanar Riot. #JapaneseAmericanInternment
— Death Valley NP (@DeathValleyNPS) January 25, 2017
From refugee to #Marine. @USMC Cpl Ali J. Mohammed takes the fight to the doorstep of those who cast his family out.https://t.co/oSXWGrzsL7 pic.twitter.com/UVlWsaESic
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) January 25, 2017
Maybe these posts are indeed intended as criticism or a political statement. If so, they sure are subtle. Climate change is a fact—full stop—no matter what the new Administration says. Trump’s opponents are obsessing over isolated tweets from blue-checkmarked accounts because they appear to be openly defiant of the White House’s new occupants.
But at least we know they’re coming from inside the building, even if they’re not necessarily an organized resistance. The so-called “rogue” accounts won’t even authenticate themselves with reporters through private or encrypted channels. Since we can’t confirm their veracity, all they do is serve as liberal wish fulfillment, not news of an active rebellion.
Julie Strupp is an editorial fellow. Before Washingtonian, she did francophone video, radio, and photography projects addressing gender-based violence in Togo, West Africa with Peace Corps. She worked at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and AllAfrica and has contributed to Mic, Center for Public Integrity, DCist, and more. Now a proud Petworth-dweller, she’s also a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate who loves judo, biking, art, and keeping the powerful accountable.
