Emma Monk
@monkemma.bsky.social
Molecular Biologist. Debunker of myths. Proud European. 🇩🇰🇪🇺🇬🇧 www.emmamonk.co.uk https://monkdebunks.substack.com www.linkedin.com/in/emma-monk-780686190 https://medium.com/@info_28174
A debunking worthy of @monkemma.bsky.social herself!
Sharon O'Dea@sharonodea.com · 2d agoA landlord making £100,000 a month says young people have “no excuse to be poor”. Excellent. I love financial advice. Gather round, children, let's examine how he himself stopped being poor. metro.co.uk/2026/09/20/i...
It’s not the biggest element of the story, but this aspect makes me particularly furious. Perhaps the cruelty in taking something not really in the public interest but clearly very personally important to Jason Arday, and suggesting it never happened, when basic research would show it did.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Dear @andyburnham.bsky.social The UK Media Needs To Be Held Responsible For Jason’s Death. Print media needs to be broken up and brought under an independent governing body. This cannot happen again. M CC @mrjamesob.bsky.social @jemmaforte.bsky.social @marina-purkiss.bsky.social
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Hi @vicderbyshire.bsky.social if Jason Arday and marathons ever come up, please see the evidence and references below. Better yet, invite @monkemma.bsky.social on and ask why she was able to find this information but most journalists have not
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Outstanding research. It shouldn't be, it should be commonplace. But in this world we have, Monk is the best of the best
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
And other find from @monkemma.bsky.social: Arday blogged all those marathons in real time. I can’t remember the dozens of journalists who told me there’s no evidence he ran them. Are any of you big enough — or good enough journalists — to correct your error?
Excellent thread by the wonderful Emma Monk demonstrating the half arsedness of our press. They were far beyond negligent.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
I particularly appreciate this one Emma. In my opinion one of the most poignant and powerful pieces of your work I've seen.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
The British press: Lazy, twisted, bottom-dwelling scumbags. Thank you for honouring Jason Arday's memory Emma. 🙏🏼
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
First class reporting from Emma again!
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
@monkemma.bsky.social putting in the hard fact-checking graft lazy click-baiters can't be arsed to do, again. Only this time it would have made all the difference to a poor young man and his family if they had taken the time to do a little research and not gone after him. Thank you Emma, RIP Jason.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Read this, if you’ve ever run a single marathon - and especially if you haven’t. Imagine running all those marathons and reading article after article saying you made it all up.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
I like many other people on this web site did scoff at some of the stories about what Arday claimed. But reading this makes me think that I, and lots of people in the media, ought to have a big slice of self reflection at parts of the story, and our reactions to it.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
I don't know why but I found the way the press stripped Prof. Arday's marathon achievement from him to be particularly cruel and spiteful. This thread is pretty heartbreaking.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Look at the picture this paints of Arday. Of how hard he tried, of how much he cared.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Imagine running a marathon and years down the line people don't believe you. Now imagine running 30 marathons for charity and at the point where you are at your lowest, the mass media start claiming that you made it up.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
If you want more proof that Jason Arday was the victim of a racist smear campaign by the feckless UK media, here you go.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Every time I see those pictures of him beaming with pride and joy at his achievements, it just breaks my heart over and over.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Once again @monkemma.bsky.social shows ‘journalists’ how it’s done. Mr Jason Arday (RIP 😢). Most seem to be too quick to create badly researched articles for clickbait, acting as ‘influencers’. As well as being too keen to denegrate/hound others irrespective of the facts.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Emma doing the lord’s work yet again 👇
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Emma here doing her excellent work, highlighting how so many so called professional journalists definitely didn't do much work at all in their stories that resulted in a death.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
Thank goodness for real citizen journalists doing the work so many professionals failed to do
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
If anyone is still over on the bad place 🐤, I’d appreciate you giving this thread a retweet over there as I want it to be seen by as many people as possible! Arday deserves for people to know he DID run those 30 marathons And British media denied there was any evidence😢 x.com/monkemma/sta...
Emma, as usual doing the work many newspaper writers don’t do.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26
This is not getting nearly enough attention and coverage as it should. Please make time for Emma's work, particularly this event. ⬇️
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.This is not misinformation. That's what I normally cover - something out of context, an opinion quoted as fact, or a deliberate misinterpretation... This is none of those. This is full-on disinformation. Because that is NOT from the Express. It is entirely fake😱 🧵 1/10
Excellent thread by digging-genius Emma Monk.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.This is not misinformation. That's what I normally cover - something out of context, an opinion quoted as fact, or a deliberate misinterpretation... This is none of those. This is full-on disinformation. Because that is NOT from the Express. It is entirely fake😱 🧵 1/10
Worth the read and to spread the word. Nothing can be taken at face value anymore - we all have to check our sources. Also give her a follow as she’s brilliant sifting through the BS
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · last mo.This is not misinformation. That's what I normally cover - something out of context, an opinion quoted as fact, or a deliberate misinterpretation... This is none of those. This is full-on disinformation. Because that is NOT from the Express. It is entirely fake😱 🧵 1/10
![Text of an email (part 2)
Poor research on Jason Arday
----
'... I have not seen a single newspaper that claimed these marathons were a lie publish anything correcting those claims. Even yesterday, the BBC wrote: “Questions were also asked about Arday’s claims that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days, and 300 miles in three days for charity” in their piece about [Nathan] Cofnas resigning.'
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'We’ve covered three important media-literacy points in this piece:
'A respectable newspaper using an anonymous Reddit comment as the basis for a headline and story which they paid to push across social media, as part of an excessive campaign of articles focussed on one man, long after he resigned.
'A media narrative stripping a very real life-time achievement from a man, saying there was no evidence to back up his claim of running 30 marathons in 35 days, when that evidence was publicly available all along.
'A claim he never made being used as proof that he was a serial liar.'
----
'As I said at the start, I am only covering things I have evidence for. And I am not suggesting that he didn’t exaggerate, embellish or even lie about other things. He may well have done, but that did not warrant the coverage he received in the weeks leading up to his death.'
The fight for truth is on, as someone once said.
Ed Wilson](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:oqhejqhljmlu3pganizsztib/bafkreiep323einvfrjykjrc2xaim5gyier64u6z4nzlzuiunw3edzu2oje)