Dominic Cummings has created a Twitter list of “SW1-NPCs“. An NPC, or Non-Player Character, is a computer game term for a character that can’t be controlled by the human player, which means that they are governed by lines of code and will respond to events in a set way without any ability for autonomous thought. The term is now used to refer to people who provide half-brained, automatic, and predictable opinions on complex issues. More than a few names spring to mind…

Cummings explains that the New York Times, BBC, and Guardian are the worst for online disinformation and the easiest way to spot an NPC these days is when they say things like “I’m leaving Twitter” but never do.

There are 17 names on Cummings’ list so far: Adam Boulton, Alexander Clarkson, Rafael Behr, Jolyon Maugham, Rafael Behr, Marina Hyde, George Parker, Jonathan Portes, Alex Thomas, Tom Bradby, Stephen Bush, Pippa Crerar, Adam Wagner, Phillips P. O’Brien, Iain Martin, Dan Hodges, Camilla Tominey, Sam Freedman. Harsh…