'Sockpuppet' caught in the Web

A priest in the Church of England has apologised to his parish and his bishop after he published a glowing but “fake” review of his “wonderful” singing voice when “officiating” at a service at Wesminster Abbey. The Reverend David Peters, Vicar of the Anglican Catholic parishes of Most Holy Trinity and St Mark’s in Reading, reproduced in his parish magazine the words of a female reviewer, “Freddie”, from the Christian online magazine Ship of Fools. In the Mystery Worshipper slot, where pseudonymous worshippers do write-ups of services around the country, “Freddie” wrote of a visiting priest officiating at Westminster Abbey: “His singing voice was so wonderful one wanted to turn round and peer down at him in the way that one always looks at singers doing a solo.”

This story, which has appeared in brief in the main paper, highlights the question of identity on the Web. I'm more than flattered by the way Dave Walker has chosen to illustrate some of the pitfalls, but his serious points are worth nothing for all of us. Some people have suggested I'm too easy here on Father Peters. It is worth reading the current ShipofFools board on this one (look at the 'confidentiality' thread under 'Styx'.) And also I've dicovered a new word thanks to SoF, 'Sockpuppet', which if I understand it correctly is a person who assumes different email identities on discussion boards. Although I had a struthruth email account once, in most places now I'm either RuthGledhill, or RuthGledhillFranks if another RG has already registered. But I've never not had an 'avatar', as I think the word is, out of principle, and still think there is not much wrong with it unless the intention is to webstalk or otherwise deceive or harrass. I did try and get one in fact on SoF but I never managed to post and gave up months ago. The only thing that baffles me is where on earth do people find the time to maintain several identities on the Internet? It is tough enough maintaining just the real one. Read this SoF essay on deceit on the Internet.

The difficulties around Father Peters' alleged sockpuppeting came when it emerged that although he does sometimes take services at Westminster Abbey, he was not officiating at the service reviewed by “Freddie”. Nevertheless, he still went ahead and published the Mystery Worshipper report, identifying himself as the priest, in the parish magazine of St Mark’s, Reading. And alongside the review, he wrote: “I hope that this month you will forgive a moment of pure indulgence. As you know, I am a Priest Vicar of Westminster Abbey and, once a month, I take my place in the rota to be the officiant at Choral Evensong. Thus it is rather a surprise to me to find that this latest report has me as the unnamed Priest Vicar... Do ignore her over-the-top praise of my singing voice.”

Simon Jenkins, editor of Ship of Fools, has now removed “Freddie’s” fake Westminster Abbey review from the site and put up a story, Mystery Bullshipper. You can read the story there, but I've reproduced some of it below.

He has also pulled another review by “Freddie” of an Easter Sunday service at Father Peter’s church of Holy Trinity in Readng.

Both reviews were published on the SoF website, until a member of the congregation at Most Holy Trinity emailed a complaint to the magazine. The complaint stood out because, unusually, the parishioner was angry that the review was “too positive”.

Mr Jenkins said: “Needless to say, it is a cold day in Hell when a church complains that their Mystery Worshipper report is too positive.”

When Mr Jenkins started to investigate, Father Peters at first insisted the complainant had got it wrong because he had not officiated at the Westminster Abbey service after all and another priest had stood in for him. It was ony after further investigations that Mr Jenkins discovered Father Peters had already claimed he was the Abbey officiant in his own St Mark’s magazine.

In a report into the incident on the Ship of Fools site, Mr Jenkins writes that it was then that he decided to do some technological digging. It turned out “Freddie” was a new arrival as a Mystery Worshipper and had also registered recently on the site’s bulletin boards.

And when he checked “Freddie’s” registration details, it turned out she had chosen the same distinctive password as another member, Mowll’s Disciple, and that both were posting from the same computer. Mowll’s Disciple had been on the boards for about five years and was well-known for posting flattering remarks about ... Father David Peters.

The personnel at Ship of Fools asked Father Peters to put them in touch with Freddie or with Mowll’s disciple. Father Peters had previously claimed that Mowll’s disciple was a friend from Australia. But on this occasion, he claimed he could not because he did not know them. He also offered the explanation that he keeps “open house” and lots of people have access to his computer.

Father Peters was not available for comment last night (sunday) but has categorically denied to the Oxford diocese that he is in fact both “Freddie” and “Mowll’s Disciple”. He is offering ShipofFools access to his computer to check this for themselves. (Although Father Peters is under the pastoral care of the traditionalist “flying” Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Right Rev Andrew Burnham, for disciplinary purposes he still remains under the Oxford diocese.)

A spokeswoman for the diocese said: “Father David Peters has admitted his foolishness in misleading the congregation of St Mark’s about having taken the service in Westminster Abbey. He has since spoken to the churchwardens and standing committee of St Mark’s and apologised to them, and they have accepted his apology. He has also spoken with the Archdeacon and the Bishop of Ebbsfleet and apologised to them. The diocese takes such matters seriously and is keeping the situation under review. Meanwhile, the Bishop of Ebbsfleet is offering support to Father Peters at this difficult time.”

Mr Jenkins says on the SofF site: “This episode has made us look more closely at who our Mystery Worshippers actually are, and how their reports are submitted... With apologies to Westminster Abbey and Most Holy Trinity, Reading, we have now withdrawn both reports, which are too compromised to stay online.”

For myself, I was interested in this story for a number of reasons. Mystery Worshipper bears in many respects similarities to the At Your Service column I used to do for The Times. For nearly ten years, week in and week out, I would visit a different church and do write-ups for the Saturday paper, rating churches and preachers for sermons, architecture, spiritual high and after-service care. The column was remarkably effective and Hodder's even put some of the early ones into a book.

Although some people complained about what they thought was a trivialising venture, more people wrote to thank me for improving the standard of coffee after the service. Or even for getting coffee put on where there had been none. Now of course, in this new-tech environment, the concept of that column seems outdated. Mystery Worshipper might have been slightly inspired by the column, but it is more a concept drawn from the Tesco's highly effective "Mystery Shopper" phenomenon.

I don't personally believe Father Peters deliberately set out to deceive. Although Masses there are ornate and spectacular, and spotlights follow celebrants as they process around the church, his church does not even have a website. ShipofFools, on the other hand, is a highly successful but often satirical magazine. He has said he put the Abbey report in St Mark's magazine to make parishioners feel better about themselves, and I would think that is true. Because of the satirical and light nature of the site, he would not have seen such a venture as a breach of the commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." And in any case, he wasn't bearing false witness against anyone, only for himself.

This amusing story, that I hope I've reproduced here without upsetting Father Peters, highlights the opportunities and pitfalls presented by these new technologies.

One exciting opportunity I'm about to avail myself of is videoblogging. It is possible, I've just discovered (belatedly I know) to download camcorder videos onto YouTube and then upload them direct onto a blog. I tried it for the first time last night, with a recording of my husband's own composition and the title track of his latest CD, The Arms of the Enemy. I took it at a recent gig they played at the Orange Tree, Richmond. (update: I've now substituted another track from the Orange Tree gig, The Wishfulness Waltz. This beautiful waltz was actually picked up and covered by Fairport Convention, who made it the title track of a recent CD. You can still watch Arms on Youtube however.) The aim, as well as to promote Alan of course, who you can also read about in T2, singing with US crooner Tony Bennett, is to make Father Peters feel better at his own little bit of self-promotion in his church magazine. So thank you, Father, for making me laugh, and for giving me this opportunity. If this works, I'll be taking out my camcorder with me on stories and interviews, and posting videos as well as words on this blog. So thank you Father Peters also for giving me the courage and incentive to try that as well.

Comments

[duchess]

dang, I lost the will to live after trying to absorb the pages and pages of documentation on SoF, but even with the small amounts I took in of written verbiage, I am afraid I am terribly amused beyond measure reading about this. It is sinful how much I am laughing. I must go repent at once! I will repent though in due time of course. Too much fun reading everything at the moment. (SINNER!)

At least though the church's peeps have some good coffee and that is really counts in the Kingdom of God on Earth. Makes them take in the Living Word better when they are loved and provided for that way.

God bless and will check back for more amusement later, Ruth.

+

[Robin Bather]

lol Frank, lol!

[MadPriest]

Mark Harris at PRELUDIUM
http://anglicanfuture.blogspot.com/2006/10/shameless-commerce-church-of-nigeria.html
has found pretty good evidence that Father David's mystery worshipper has now emigratred to Nigeria.

[Frank Schnittger]

"What's all the fuss about?"

Easy - bad theology, Alan.

Posted by: alistair mcbay | Tuesday, 10 October 2006 at 07:09 PM

It's great to see Alistair lecturing Alan on what constitutes good and bad theology. It makes a change from Christians lecturing Atheists on what they do and don't believe.

But what does Emanuel mean when he says that Robin Bather invites the evils of homosexuality when posing as Emanuel?

[emanuel appel]

a letter from America

Dear Ruth,

It seems that my faithful Sancho Panza, Robin Bather, is not only following me here but posing as me in a droll sort of way.

Didn't he read all the previous posts re the evils of homosexuality?

[Greg the Explorer]

See things like this would never happen in the Anglican Church here in Australia. Very funny - not for the priest involved or for anyone who took the SoF reports at their word and went along to any of his services just to find out he catually sung likie a bellowing mule just before dinner time!

SoF and Mystery Worshipper do seem to contune to encourage people in their consumerist attitude to faith and religion and so breed people like the sockpuppet formerly known as Fthr Dave Peters!

[Alan Marsh]

I think I prefer the "bad taste" version, Alistair.... exemplified by the choreographed millinery parades at Holy Trinity Reading!

[andrewdb]

I thought it was a much worse Anglican (well, maybe only in TEC) sin to be self-aggrandizing then to bear false witness against others - right up there with using the wrong fork at dinner!

[alistair mcbay]

"What's all the fuss about?"

Easy - bad theology, Alan.

[Tom]

Seems like Father Peter's isn't the only one that has fooled Ship of Fools see here:
http://revjph.blogspot.com/2006/10/ship-of-fools-fooled-by-times.html

[Robin Bather]

Hey, who's posting here and using my email name?
A sockpuppet no doubt.

[Robin Bather]

If only you knew it Ruth, several sockpuppets are on your blog regularly. They comb Timesonline daily and post their sometimes extremist views.
Regular bloggers recognize each others' styles and points of view, and sometimes pull each other's legs.

[Arturo Lopez]

Being a neighbour of Robin Bather I can vouch for his fine singing voice.
He sings in the shower every day and sometimes on a Saturaday night after he has had a few drinks, we can hear the jolly verses of On Ilkley Moor Bah Tat, and Land of Hope and Glory, wafting over the neighbourhood.
He sings wonderfully well.
Thanks for telling us what a sockpuppet is Ruth.

[Robin Bather]

A letter from America

Dear Ruth,

Robin Bather's posting is right on and he is to be congratulated for his intelligent remarks.
I used to mistakem about him--he really is admirable and has certainly convinced me of my erroneous ideas.
Thanks for explaining what a sockpuppet is Ruth.

Emmaneul Appul

[Robin Bather]

Who amongst us can deny having polished his CV before going for a job interview.
During the interview have we not all been guilty of exaggerating our sucesses and downplaying the reason why we were let go from another company?
"Oh you know, the company is going through bad times so they are releasing their best and highest paid executives first".
I think there are worse things than exaggerating about our singing voice.
By the way if anyone would like a free CD of me singing Christmas Carols, please contact me off post.

[Alan Marsh]

What's all the fuss about? Sites like Ship of Fools by their very nature are targets for spoofing. How many more of its Mystery Worshippers are not for real? They can hardly provide any kind of Quality Assurance!

[emanuel appel]

a letter from America

Dear Ruth,

I see an opportunity for a sort of ecumenical Guide Michelin divided by religion, region, etc where each church would be given crosses, miters, and shepherd crooks for pleasant service, appointments, and music. We can call it Rolling Cross.

[Ben]

I quote, 'he would not have seen such a venture as a breach of the commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."'

You and he might not, but many, many others, particularly on the Ship of Fools, do.

The Ship commandments, that Father Peters has agreed to on signing up, specifically prohibit 'sock puppetry' (creating more than one account on the Ship Forums), of which Father Peters seems to be very much guilty, protestations aside.

And lastly, the first Ship commandment is "Don't be a jerk"... care to guess what I think Father Peters has been?

Time for Ms. Gledhill to rethink her position on the abuse of internet sites for grandiose self-agrandieement!

[alistair mcbay]

Hmm. A previous blog thread had news of an Anglican vicar embracing Hinduism and Ganesh, which seemed to me to put him in a spot of difficulty vis-a-vis the first of those famed Ten Commandments. Now in this thread, another Anglican vicar appears on this occasion to have discarded the ninth TC (and sorry, Ruth, but being mealy-mouthed about it and saying things like 'fake' and 'did not deliberately set out to deceive' just doesn't cut the mustard - false witness has been borne. Thou art too forgiving!)

Good tale though to brighten the day. Nice to see the fashion police now comment on what the Mass-celebrants are wearing. Will Trinnie & Susanna be doing a review soon on daytime TV, or perhaps a slot on SofP ??

[David Reimer]

Andrew Brown (above) seems to have a similar reaction to the "reading" given here that I had ... errrm ... yes, very kind! The episode (as recounted here and at the Ship of Fools site) strikes me quite differently.

Meanwhile, how fortunate Alan Frank was to secure the services of Des Lynam (not) to play bass! I didn't even know Des Lynam *could* play bass!

[Andrew Brown]

How very much kinder you are, Ruth, than I am. The story didn't strike me at all in the same way; but it was very funny all the same.

[James]

Shades of Mrs. Bucket. Whoops! I mean Mrs. Bouquet...

James