Political commentators, blogs and followers have been whipped into a frenzy this week after the first excerpt from Observer columnist Andrew Rawnsley’s new book contained allegations of bullying and mistreatment against Gordon Brown over the treatment of his staff.

The National Bullying Helpline (NBH) then decided to get involved, and CEO Christine Pratt stated that someone from Prime Minister’s office had contacted her helpline for confidential help. Mrs Pratt tells the Daily Mail: “At least one of the callers who we were in correspondence with was suffering from work-related stress and had time out of the office.”

Unfortunately for Bullying UK, the digitally savvy charity dedicated to the same cause, it’s been tarred with the same brush. Many people online have – and still are – mistaking them for Pratt’s organisation.

Liz Carnell responded via Bullying UK’s blog; “It’s hard to imagine a more serious breach of confidentiality. And it’s extremely concerning that we’ve had emails and Tweets (Twitter messages) from people who think that this charity is responsible.”

Carnell goes on to suggest that Mrs Pratt has seriously damaged the reputation of the anti-bullying sector, in which confidentiality is paramount. Prof Cary Cooper, an expert on workplace stress and patron of the NBH has already stepped down, suggesting Mrs Pratt herself to consider her position.

Adding further fuel to the fire, The Telegraph (amongst others) has suggested that the move to speak out could have been influenced by the fact that Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe is NBH’s patron and it quotes support from David Cameron on its website. Government sources questioned the charity’s credentials, suggesting it had made no contact with No 10 and operated only two doors away from the local Conservative party.

Political motivation aside, here we see a classic example of mistaken identity at work. Many Internet users are fickle creatures, and speed is of the essence. A quick read of an article can lead to damning criticism of the wrong party, and Bullying UK has only been saved this fate because it’s kept on top of what people have been saying by responding promptly on its blog and almost immediately to criticism on Twitter.