Author: nick

Ukraine has emerged from its harshest wartime winter with its energy system battered by relentless Russian strikes designed to freeze civilians into submission. At the same time, a sustained FIMI campaign sought to spin the blackouts into narratives of Ukrainian weakness, division and European fatigue – claims starkly disproven by sustained public and governmental support across the continent. Ukraine has just endured its harshest winter since the start of the full-scale war. Russian attacks on infrastructure supplying heat and electricity are not new – they have marked previous winters as well. This time, however, the strikes on the power grid…

Article Metrics0CrossRef Citations In today’s digital media environment, emotionally resonant narratives often spread faster and stick more firmly than verifiable facts. This paper explores how emotionally charged communication in online controversies fosters not only widespread engagement but also the participatory nature of misinformation. Through a case study of a K-pop controversy, we show how audiences act not just as consumers but as co-authors of alternative narratives in moments of uncertainty. These dynamics reflect a broader trend where emotionally driven discourse increasingly shapes public perception, challenging the role of facts in public debate. By Sungha KangCollege of Information, University of Maryland,…

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) has evolved into a dense and interconnected ecosystem of actors, infrastructures and narratives operating across digital platforms and geopolitical contexts. The concept of the “FIMI Galaxy”, part of the recently published 4th EEAS Report on FIMI Threats, captures this systemic reality. It exposes the complex architecture behind influence operations and provides a strategic tool for understanding and countering them. The FIMI Galaxy: mapping the architecture of information manipulation Compared to previous assessments, the 2025 landscape appears denser and more active. The number of detected FIMI incidents and operational channels have increased, and the consistency…

Article Metrics0CrossRef Citations Rather than assuming that people are motivated to fact-check, we investigated the process that people go through when and if they encounter political misinformation. Using a digital diary method, we asked 38 participants to collect examples of political misinformation during Australia’s 2025 federal election and explain why they determined it to be misinformation (n = 254). The top rationale given by participants for their decisions was that the claims contradicted their existing knowledge (28%), followed by perceptions of bias (22%). An independent fact checker analysed the examples and revealed a considerable gap: 10% of submissions were found…

KEY EVENTS: FIMI outlets downplayed Ukraine’s battlefield effectiveness while setting the stage for potential escalation in the Baltic states Pro-Kremlin narratives portrayed the West as waging war against Russia Messaging sought to influence elections in Hungary by presenting the EU as an authoritarian actor Ukraine hits Russian oil ports, Kremlin blames NATO and warns of a “coup” in Hungary Following Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian Baltic seaports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, pro-Kremlin information channels quickly shifted attention away from the damage caused by the attacks. Both ports are major export hubs for Russian oil and petroleum products, so the…

Article Metrics0CrossRef Citations We conducted an expert survey of almost a hundred academics, fact checkers, and journalists who actively work towards mitigating disinformation and providing policy advice in the European context to examine whether they share views on generative artificial intelligence’s (AI) role in disinformation. Findings show that fact checkers feel more confident in tackling AI-generated disinformation than academics or journalists, though experts broadly agree on the risks it poses for democracy and journalism. Regarding the attribution of responsibility to combat AI-generated disinformation, fact checkers place more onus on online platforms, while academics assign greater responsibility to news users. By…

KEY EVENTS • Messaging portrayed Ukraine as a threat to the security of the Baltic States • FIMI outlets targeted upcoming parliamentary elections in EU member states • Pro-Kremlin narratives advocated for lifting EU sanctions on Russian energy LAST WEEK IN REVIEW Pro-Kremlin disinformation campaigns continued to distort Ukraine’s military actions, electoral processes, and Europe’s energy policies. A false narrative accused Ukraine of risking nuclear escalation by allegedly targeting Baltic states—a claim based on debunked drone reports. Russian FIMI intensified efforts to manipulate elections across Europe, including in Bulgaria (seeking EU support against interference) and Hungary (falsely framing Ukraine and…

Now that the Epstein files have been (reportedly) fully released, I knew that Seckel must be in them. Seckel organized a “Mindshift” Science conference on Lolita Island, and he married the sister of Ghislaine Maxwell. The question is, what is in there? “Jeffrey Epstein and Al Seckel have assembled a diverse and eclectic intimate group of exceptional thinkers and achievers to discuss various topics….”I wrote about Seckel two years ago, “The Strange Life and Death (?) of Al Seckel.” (You should read that first if you’re unfamiliar with the Seckel saga.) I first met Seckel at the 1984 CSICOP Conference, held…

Q: Skeptics seem to spend a lot of time debunking conspiracies, but for the most part aren’t they harmless? Most people I know just share them for a laugh. Lighten up! —Karl T. A: In previous columns, I’ve tackled the harm in believing in psychics and ghosts, and it was inevitable that this question would come up regarding conspiracy theories. Everyone holds mistaken beliefs; it’s just part of being human. We can’t fact-check everything we’re told. Normally this is fine because most of the information we encounter is truthful, or at least accurate for practical purposes. If we’re asking directions…

Humans have to signal just like birds have to sing, beavers have to build, bears have to hibernate, fish have to swim, and wolves have to howl. Such behaviors are how those animals make themselves legible to one another. Social life under uncertainty forces them to externalize what matters like fitness, temperament, and willingness to cooperate. Humans face the same basic problem with more complicated traits like temperament, virtue, skill, and intelligence—traits that aren’t directly observable. So people must signal them to coordinate and to survive. Humans are a highly cooperative species that will cooperate with almost anyone on almost…