Fresh anger as Covid-denying, anti-vaxx conspiracy theory paper delivered to Doncaster homes

The Light, which describes itself as a ‘truthpaper’ began circulating in Doncaster last year, with copies handed out in the town centre by campaigners who say coronavirus is a hoax.

It has also been seen on counters in some Doncaster newsagents with people across the city reporting of copies being pushed through their doors.

Now it has emerged the paper is circulating in the city once again, with several furious readers contacting the Free Press to complain of the unsolicited deliveries.

One angry resident said: “The Light is absolutely dangerous, frighteningly stupid horses***.

"It dropped through my door and I instantly realised what it was.

“It find it absolutely disgusting that this kind of nonsense is being delivered to homes. Vulnerable people might see it and think there’s something valid in it.

"It really does need to be stopped.”

Last year, one angry customer contacted the Free Press after spotting The Light on the counter of his local newsagent.

He said: “It was there as bold as brass alongside stuff like The Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror.

"When I told the shopkeeper that it was Covid denying, the guy had no idea.

"He just said a man had come in with a bundle of free newspapers and asked if he wouldn’t mind giving them away. He just told him they were free but didn’t say anything about what was inside it.

“When I told him he was shocked and said he would stop stocking it."

The man, who has declined to be named, says he visited a number of other newsagents in the area and found several also had it on their shelves.

"People are entitled to their views – and that includes conspiracy theorists, even if they are all nuts,” he added. “But this is dangerous misinformation and people could die by taking on board what’s in there.”

Copies of The Light, which describes itself as ‘the only paper telling you the truth’ and ‘free from the establishment’ were being given away in the town centre before Christmas 2021 and editions have since been pushed through doors of homes across Doncaster and South Yorkshire.

Those handing out the paper were also criticised for deliberately targeting teenagers and younger people.

The publication has been dubbed ‘dangerous’ for spreading false and misleading information about vaccines as well as numerous Covid-19 conspiracy theories.

The self-published “truthpaper” is edited by Manchester man Darren Smith who runs a business selling anti-vaccine T-shirts and 9/11 conspiracy merchandise.

The paper features articles about the New World Order supposedly behind Covid, urges rejecting vaccines and not to wear masks, calling coronavirus a hoax.

Newspapers are distributed volunteers who offer to hand out copies and post them through their neighbours’ doors.

Its Twitter accounts have been suspended for peddling Covid misinformation and the print publication regularly draws on baseless claims about Bill Gates, global plots and mind control using vaccines. It calls for modern-day “Nuremberg trials” for ‘main stream media’ journalists it says are following agendas.

Smith, the Light’s founder and editor, who performs as Darren Nesbitt, said the paper is distributed by anti-vaxx supporters and Covid-deniers.