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Leaked emails lift lid on spin chief’s ‘Twitter Army’

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By Steven Raeburn, N/A

December 16, 2013 | 3 min read

The former communications chief former Australian PM Julia Gillard, John McTernan, evidently relied upon a ‘Twitter Army’ in a bid to create evidence of broader public opinion, the ABC has reported.

John McTernan

The revelations are disclosed in a series of leaked emails made available to the broadcaster.

“The correspondence shows the "Twitter army" was used with the aim to dominate Twitter with trends, memes and tweets favourable to Labor,” ABC reporter Latike Bourke said.

“When the former prime minister's office wanted to attack then-opposition leader Tony Abbott's 'working class' credentials, Mr McTernan wrote to a junior staffer who would mobilise the online group.”

The report also said that the leaked emails documented government staffers co-producing a meme about deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop to "push on Twitter".

“Mr McTernan forwarded it to the staffer he credited with developing and liaising with the government’s 'Twitter army' and 14 minutes later it was posted online by the Twitter user @hilarystyles or 'Raw Hide',” Bourke reported.

“A short time later, Ms Bishop cancelled a public engagement and Mr McTernan congratulated his staff on the outcome: "hat tip to Raw Hide. Our Twitter army comes through",” the report said.

The ABC report also said that McTernan drafted the Tweets of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, which Gillard then published as her own.

“Mr McTernan and his staff would draft tweets for Ms Gillard to publish as her own on her Twitter account,” Bourke said.

The report said that a tweet apparently authored by Gillard commiserating Rupert Murdoch on the death of his mother was authored by McTernan.

A spokesman for Ms Gillard told the ABC that "prime minister Gillard personally cleared all tweets signed JG – she wrote, edited and approved".

McTernan (@johnmcternan) remains active on Twitter in respect of UK and Australian political issues since the election of liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

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