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Claire Wilmot

@clairelwilmot.bsky.social
1.2K followers 382 following 124 posts

Journalist/writer/researcher | visiting postdoc fellow, London School of Economics | before: TBIJ, UofT | epistemology, tech, corruption, legal systems, gender. www.instagram.com/clairelwilmot?igs…

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Reposted by Claire Wilmot
The Dial @thedialmag.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Gold mined illegally in Tigray, a war-torn region of Ethiopia, has become a cornerstone of the Ethiopian economy. The industry promised economic prosperity; instead it’s deepening corruption and instability in the region. @clairelwilmot.bsky.social and Gisa Tunbridge report.
thedial.world
The Gold Trap — The Dial
Mining offered war-torn Tigray an opportunity for economic recovery. Instead, it deepened corruption and instability.
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 15/06/2026
‘Gold mines in Sudan, which have played an important role in financing the brutal civil war, are backed by money linked to the UAE and Russia. In Ethiopia, China is the biggest player.’ Claire Wilmot reports from Tigray. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Claire Wilmot · Gold Rush
Across Tigray, the remains of razed towns are marked with mounds of earth piled over the dead – impressions of war...
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Gabriela Bacher @gabrielabacher.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
www.equator.org/articles/tho... Two friends pass each other in the Atlantic, one sailing from Europe to New York, the other in the opposite direction. Sighting each other on the high seas, they cry out simultaneously: “Have you gone crazy?”
equator.org
On the Occasion of a Magazine • EQUATOR
In a previously unpublished essay, Thomas Mann reflects on America’s ‘terrifying moral decline’
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Reposted by Claire Wilmot
Robert Rubsam @robrubsam.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
"No algorithm can make war morally acceptable. AI can only make war faster, more opaque and more impersonal. The technology will lower the threshold for the resort to violence." www.equator.org/articles/to-...
equator.org
To Dwell in Possibility • EQUATOR
A Vatican adviser explains how the Pope became the most formidable critic of the algorithmic age
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Second, @jowedekind.bsky.social's report for @rvinews.bsky.social: Prosperity to the Periphery? The politics of resource extraction in Ethiopia, post-2018 riftvalley.net/publication/...
riftvalley.net
PROSPERITY TO THE PERIPHERY? – Rift Valley Institute
SUMMARY
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Reposted by Claire Wilmot
Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
First, Ahmed Soliman & Suliman Baldo's @africaprog.bsky.social report: Gold and the war in Sudan www.chathamhouse.org/2025/03/gold... 2/3
chathamhouse.org
Gold and the war in Sudan
How regional solutions can support an end to conflict
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Excellent from Claire Wilmot on the 'Gold Rush' in Tigray, connections to the war economy and effects on civilians www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4... Complements well and expands our understanding from a couple of recent analyses: 1/3
lrb.co.uk
Claire Wilmot · Gold Rush
Across Tigray, the remains of razed towns are marked with mounds of earth piled over the dead – impressions of war...
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 09/06/2026
‘One broker told me that he buys “conflict gold” from places such as the Central African Republic for around 40 per cent of its global value and then sells it to sanctioned Russians for much more than it’s worth.’ Claire Wilmot on Ethiopia’s gold. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Claire Wilmot · Gold Rush
Across Tigray, the remains of razed towns are marked with mounds of earth piled over the dead – impressions of war...
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Nanjala @nanjala.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I love that some of my favourite journalists are making money from newsletters - the pamphlets of the digital age. I do still think we need strong independent and ideally publicly funded media.
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Reposted by Claire Wilmot
London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 01/06/2026
‘By the end of 2025, Ethiopia reported record volumes of gold exports – 38 tonnes, worth more than $3 billion – and gold surpassed coffee as the country’s biggest export. But these figures are only part of the story.’ Claire Wilmot reports from Tigray. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Claire Wilmot · Gold Rush
Across Tigray, the remains of razed towns are marked with mounds of earth piled over the dead – impressions of war...
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Reposted by Claire Wilmot
London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 27/05/2026
Issue 48.10 is now online, featuring: Stefan Collini on the crisis in universities Lili Owen Rowlands on Agnès Varda Greg Afinogenov on Russian ideologies Rahmane Idrissa on the Sahara and @jamesmeek.bsky.social on Andy Burnham. Read online at www.lrb.co.uk
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 27/05/2026
Also in this issue: @deborahfriedell.bsky.social on Gavin Newsom David Runciman on games Rory Scothorne on Scottish Labour Hal Foster on Marcel Duchamp @jrobertlennon.com on Larry McMurtry Michael Hofmann on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 Inigo Thomas on JFK Jr @clairelwilmot.bsky.social on gold mining in Tigray…
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Equator @equatormag.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
RIP Saxophone Colossus www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytZ_...
youtube.com
There Will Never Be Another You
YouTube video by Sonny Rollins - Topic
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The Centre for Investigative Journalism @tcij.org · 18/05/2026
On the SLAPP trap, legal intimidation, and our alumnus Cormac Kehoe: great piece by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and Jenna Corderoy in the New Statesman www.newstatesman.com/investigatio...
newstatesman.com
The Slapp trap
As media lawyers battle to keep Britain’s libel industry lucrative, hopes for reform are fading
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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Incredibly strong agreement with this. But I admit to being despairing because we're now well over a decade into this cultural and economic nosedive and *nothing seems to stop the reactionary centrists from being like this*. They'll not learn they're wrong, they always want to appease the far right.
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Sumi Madhok @sumimadhok.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
“This is why they’ve gone after critical race theory, because critical race theory says… discrimination, exclusion can happen in any number of ways that are presumably race-neutral”. Thrilled of course, that Professor Crenshaw is coming to @lsegender.bsky.social to launch her new book ‘Backtalker’!
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
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Taylor Lorenz @taylorlorenz.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
SCOOP: A pro-AI dark money group backed by a powerful super PAC funded by execs tied to Palantir and OpenAI, has been secretly paying influencers to push pro-AI, anti-China propaganda on TikTok and IG.
wired.com
A Dark-Money Campaign Is Paying Influencers to Frame Chinese AI as a Threat
Build American AI, a nonprofit linked to a super PAC bankrolled by executives at OpenAI and Andreessen Horowitz, is funding a campaign to spread pro-AI messaging and stoke fears about China.
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Sam Whyte @samwhyte.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
I think about this all the time.
@depthsofwiki

The "Ship of Theseus" article has been edited 1792 times since it was created in July of 2003. At present, 0% of the phrases in the original article (seen below) remain.
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Tom Braithwaite @tombraithwaite.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
15 women were willing to come to testify in court on behalf of the FT. That included 3 whose allegations had not previously been reported.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 04/04/2026
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “The mechanics of doubt revealed in the Epstein files — the strategies and tactics deployed by the powerful to erode survivors’ credibility — offer a rare glimpse into what the #MeToo movement was up against when it took off in 2017,” Claire Wilmot writes.
nyti.ms
Opinion | The Epstein Emails Show #MeToo Never Stood a Chance
The files reveal the mechanics of doubt that the #MeToo movement had to contend with.
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New York Times Opinion @nytopinion.nytimes.com · 03/04/2026
“The mechanics of doubt revealed in the Epstein files — the strategies and tactics deployed by the powerful to erode survivors’ credibility — offer a rare glimpse into what the #MeToo movement was up against when it took off in 2017,” Claire Wilmot writes.
nyti.ms
Opinion | The Epstein Emails Show #MeToo Never Stood a Chance
The files reveal the mechanics of doubt that the #MeToo movement had to contend with.
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Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
And don’t forget Michael Wolff
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
I wrote about some of the fresh horrors I found in the Epstein files, and ask what they tell us about doubt, power, and the limits of liberals reforms
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
I do not wish to profit off stolen valor but Claire Wilmot’s article here - about Titus Andronicus, Jeffrey Epstein, and the terrifying efficacy of discrediting accusers - is excellent
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The Bureau of Investigative Journalism @tbij.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
🚨 We're hiring 🚨 The Bureau is looking for a Fact-checker and Subeditor to help publish groundbreaking investigations
thebureauinvestigates.com
We’re hiring! Apply to be our Fact-checker / Subeditor (Maternity…
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
a thing historians will marvel about when they study this era is the extent to which the "war is a thing that happens to poorer, browner people" class went about systematically dismantling every aspect of the global political order that confined the costs of war to poorer and browner people
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I guess fuelling war rhetoric is good business for conflict monitors. How do you justify your six-figure salary if the situation de-escalates?
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
ACLED (a methodologically flawed ‘conflict monitor’ that has severely under-counted causalities in some of the world’s deadliest conflicts) says Ethiopia’s increasingly authoritarian government will be justified in killing its own citizens & Eritreans in pursuit of an ill-defined goal of “change”.
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The Bureau of Investigative Journalism @tbij.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Gig-work giant Appen recruits people from around the world, telling them little about the purpose of their work It has also held numerous US military contracts, including one mentioning a high-tech spy plane
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
In July 2018, shortly after #Abiy became PM, #Epstein texts #Bannon: "Note, I spoke with the president of #Ethiopia and #Eritrea , they have agreed not to do any more work with the Chinese. ! as they now understand the trick. In fact there is a possiblitiy of the two countries becoming one". 🫠
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 14/02/2026
I don't know how I missed this incredible investigative reporting by @clairelwilmot.bsky.social and Ashenafi Endale, illicit mining in Tigray-->funding for another looming war, pollution, and, surprise surprise, foreign investment from Canada + China🧵 www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
theglobeandmail.com
When Tigray became a ‘Wild West’ of illegal gold mining, Canadian firms staked a claim
A postwar gold rush in Ethiopia razed the landscape and sowed seeds for conflict. The Globe looks into Canadian-licensed sites at the heart of it, and their ties to Beijing
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
New from me, feat. Prince of Darkness and his “best pal”
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
💜
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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
And the current moment, where the right are revealed as what they are - fascists, thugs, criminals, grasping swine who would loot the fillings from your teeth - means the death of Sensible Centrism. Because if your opponents are Nazi sex offenders, then who are you supposed to compromise with?
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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Big tech has gutted ad revenue and monopolized distribution, billionaires have exerted a corrosive control over the platforms, and both squeezed the industry away. We have to organize. We have to get systematic, and think and act collectively.
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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
I know everyone means well with their 'scoop this reporter up immediately' endorsement posts but christ — who's doing the scooping? What's left? Thinking about our industry this way, like this is a momentary setback and there are ample open roles, obscures the truth about the rot at its core.
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Jack Mirkinson @jackmirkinson.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
always bears repeating that this is NOT a financial decision. jeff bezos is worth over 250 billion dollars. he can afford to lose many millions and never even notice it. this is, at its core, a political and personal decision by bezos to destroy the post
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andy™ @andylevy.net · 04/02/2026
ohhh ‘democracy dies in darkness’ was aspirational
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Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
I hadn’t known this. Two men who were accused of sexual abuse on the Shitty Media Men document that I created back in 2017 reached out to Michael Wolff for help as they looked to sue me, and Wolf forwarded their concerns to Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein offered to help. www.jmail.world/thread/EFTA0...
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Brilliant investigation
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win.
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Gareth Watkins @garethwatkins.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
This really is the revolt of the degenerates, the freaks, the guys who follow teenage girls around shopping malls, the guys who talk about 'virtue signalling' because they hate virtue, against normal people who are just trying to live their lives.
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Claire Wilmot @clairelwilmot.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Great to see our investigation in the Guardian! Portland declined to comment on our findings. They told the Guardian they didn't have a relationship with the subcontractor we linked them to, claimed to follow guidelines for all "social media platforms". (Wikipedia is not a social media platform)
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Michael Savage @michaelsavage.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Prominent PR firm accused of employing an intermediary to favourably edit client Wikipedia pages. It's Portland, founded by Tim Allan, now Keir Starmer's comms chief. No suggestion Allan involved. Great work by @tbij.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Prominent PR firm accused of commissioning favourable changes to Wikipedia pages
Portland Communications, founded by Keir Starmer’s communications chief, linked to so-called ‘black hat’ edits
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Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
A London UK 🇬🇧 private contractor rewrites Wikipedia entries for billionaire oligarchs and corrupt governments (w/ comments from @citizenlab.ca's @fittarelli.com ) www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
thebureauinvestigates.com
London PR firm rewrites Wikipedia for governments and billionaires
Founded by Keir Starmer’s comms chief, Portland helps rich clients ‘protect their reputation’ – with a shady, off-the-books service
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Robert Smith @bondhack.ft.com · 15/01/2026
v good article from the TBIJ www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
thebureauinvestigates.com
London PR firm rewrites Wikipedia for governments and billionaires
Founded by Keir Starmer’s comms chief, Portland helps rich clients ‘protect their reputation’ – with a shady, off-the-books service
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The Bureau of Investigative Journalism @tbij.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Wikipedia was created 25 years ago, today – since then it’s become the largest collection of relatively reliable knowledge in history But how vulnerable is it to those willing to pay top dollar to polish their reputations? And how do British PR firms help them do it?
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Alberto Fittarelli @fittarelli.com · 15/01/2026
Great investigation by Claire Wilmot at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism on Portland, a firm specializing in “reputation management”… by hiding negative stories through surreptitious editing of Wikipedia articles. Glad to have contributed with a couple of quotes on this one.
thebureauinvestigates.com
London PR firm rewrites Wikipedia for governments and billionaires
Founded by Keir Starmer’s comms chief, Portland helps rich clients ‘protect their reputation’ – with a shady, off-the-books service
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