The murder of Henry Nowak in December 2025, and the public release of body-worn footage six months later, sparked a national conversation about policing, accountability, and institutional trust. It also triggered a rapid misinformation cycle in which competing narratives, political grievances, and false claims spread alongside verified information.

In this briefing, Lynn’s Misinformation Cell™ examines how the Nowak case became a flashpoint for wider debates around “two-tier policing”, institutional bias, and public trust. Combining behavioural science with analysis of the information environment, this report explores how narratives form, why they spread, and what policing communicators can learn from incidents that unfold simultaneously online and offline.

The briefing includes:

• How false narratives spread following the Nowak murder
• The role of platforms, political actors, and online communities in amplification
• Behavioural science insights into why narratives travel and harden
• Practical observations for policing and public sector communicators

With thanks to our data partner, Onclusive, for supporting media and social listening insight for this briefing.

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