‘Absolutely not true’: AFL reporter denies rumour he set up a fake Twitter account to defend himself

A Twitter molehill quickly became a mountain over the weekend, forcing the reporter at its centre to address the rumours directly.

Channel 7 reporter Tom Browne has been forced to address speculation he created a burner Twitter account to defend himself against social media criticism.

A Twitter account using the name “Jimmy Jones” was created this month, with nearly all tweets from the account either congratulating Browne for his reporting or defending him from detractors.

The account gained notoriety in recent days, with many accusing Browne of setting up and operating the account himself, leading to the reporter being asked directly on radio this morning to address the claims.

'Jimmy Jones' has come to the defence of reporter Tom Browne

'Jimmy Jones' has come to the defence of reporter Tom Browne

'Jimmy Jones' has come to the defence of reporter Tom Browne

'Jimmy Jones' has come to the defence of reporter Tom Browne

“Absolutely not true Darce (Luke Darcy),” Browne said on Triple M.

“I only knew about this account on Sunday night, so all the detractors on social media that bag me they’re now criticising an account that I know nothing about suggesting that it’s me and I don’t know anything about the account.”

Asked whether someone close to him might’ve created the account, Browne said there was no indication that was the case.

“Absolutely no one I know to the best of my knowledge unless my Mum’s got some secret fascination for Twitter, Darce,” he said.

“But no, it’s not.

“I’ve got no idea who this is, I think they’re stitching me up. Perhaps a colleague or someone out there creating lots of buzz among all the journalists, ‘Geez, someone’s sticking up for Tom Browne’. I’ve got no idea what’s going on, I’ll just keep trying to do my job and break some stories.”

Originally published as ‘Absolutely not true’: AFL reporter denies rumour he set up a fake Twitter account to defend himself