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Lou Watson

@ideascout.bsky.social
363 followers 249 following 287 posts

Chief Idea Scout. Reader, listener, connector, creator. Following news, insights on strategic comms, consumer behaviour (as linked to persuadability and motivation), democracy, war studies and mis/disinformation.

PostsRepliesMedia
Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Proud to be part of this esteemed crowd for @prca-hq.bsky.social at 12 GMT. Join us lnkd.in/eGaeJb_q cc @candacekuss.bsky.social #trends #socialmedia #disinformation
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
2025 has to be the year that we find a way to better spot, manage and regulate against dis and misinformation
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Have seen this complaint raised from all forms of media outlet. Give credit to the credit. ⬇️⬇️
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
The brazenness of this claim in light of X link suppression but more, it demonstrates a fragility that nobody should want in a leader. (It’s not a good look for somebody so concerned by vanity metrics either)
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Ukraine brings war close to home in Moscow #CBR general
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Kriszta Satori @fulelo.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
#BBCNews - Russia launches huge attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure www.bbc.com/news/article... #UkraineWar
bbc.com
Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow launches huge attack on energy infrastructure
The Kremlin says the strikes were in response to Kyiv using US-made missiles to attack its territory.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Rent-an-Andrew discovering that his tree is increasingly sparse. ‘you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on’
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Volume up. This morning’s mood 🥰 youtu.be/yhcWH8KZXEg
youtu.be
Still Woozy - Get By [Official Audio]
YouTube video by Still Woozy
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Own goal 🥴
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 12/12/2024
Trump just nominated Kari Lake to a job she can't have. Senate approved a bipartisan board in December that has oversight over Voice of America and other US funded broadcasters www.voanews.com/amp/senate-a... .
voanews.com
Senate Approves USAGM Board
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Reuters @reuters.com · 12/12/2024
Donald Trump asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of making defamatory statements during his campaign about five Black and Hispanic men who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York reut.rs/4isLRaZ
reut.rs
Trump asks judge to dismiss Central Park Five defamation lawsuit
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of making defamatory statements during his campaign about five Black and Hispanic men who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York’s Central Park.
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Dov H. Levin @dovlevin.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
The fact that such preemptive pardons by Biden are widely seen by many serious people as probably needed to defend many prominent Trump critics from wrongful prosecution (& worse) in the upcoming Trump Administration 2.0 is a very very sad moment for US democracy. www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcn...
nbcnews.com
Biden weighs pre-emptive pardons for potential targets of Trump’s retribution
During the 2024 campaign, Trump made threatening comments about people he said had slighted or wronged him.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Previously shared Sweden’s info warfare advisory, civil war preparedness in Finland, Norway and now Germany www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...
theguardian.com
‘Would you survive 72 hours?’ Germany and the Nordic countries prepare citizens for possible war
Apps and booklets are offering advice on how to build a bunker, stockpile food and live without electricity in case the worst happens
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Motives and details unclear but this is an unbelievable incident coming out of the U.S. Await further reports….
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
@thatmarkperkins.bsky.social 👋
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Alan Jagolinzer @jagolinzer.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Authoritarian scholars note that dictatorial actors intentionally flood the information environment with hyper-provocative content and rhetoric to confuse and fatigue the populace. It helps with driving their submission to dominance. cc: @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social @brianklaas.bsky.social (1/2)
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
It’s not the fact that surveillance is technologically possible it’s the sheer commitment on man power and resourcing, that makes this state backed media surveillance case so compelling.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Uploads innocuous picture of dog in garden. Fascinating awakening into digital footprints.
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Bill McCarthy @billmccarthy.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Kash Patel, Donald Trump's pick to run the FBI, has repeatedly hawked "detox" supplements that can supposedly "reverse" the Covid-19 vaccines, promoting the kits in a series of Truth Social posts that spread false claims about vaccine safety and "shedding."
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Alan Jagolinzer @jagolinzer.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
A commonly used disinformation tactic is the false dilemma (also known as a false dichotomy). A false dilemma is when the speaker insists there are only two options available--and that you must choose or the other--when, in reality, there are many other options available. youtu.be/FdfrARIGLBg?...
youtu.be
Disinformation Tactics: False dilemma (False Dichotomy)
YouTube video by Cambridge Disinformation Summit
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
This is a great long read and the threads by @klonick.bsky.social are insightful and funny (🎣🪤). I particularly love ‘you can’t bring facts to a feelings fight’ #misinformation
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
I’m not condoning fraud but surely this could have been overcome and justified in a media statement. Has the politics of politics gone OTT?
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
This is useful and helpful in understanding a contributory media ecosystem that fuels #disinformation and fear. Thanks @katestarbird.bsky.social and team
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
No matter the context, red flag for anybody who asserts ‘I’m the most intelligent person here’. The ability to know what you don’t know is much more highly prized.
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Daniel Sandford @bbcdaniels.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Former British army soldier Daniel Khalife found guilty of spying for Iran www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Daniel Khalife: Former British soldier found guilty of spying for Iran
Khalife first contacted a man linked to Iranian intelligence soon after joining the British Army, his trial heard.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
PR starters and grads - take up this generous offer from PR legends @adjwilson.bsky.social and @richleighpr.bsky.social Pass it on highflyersprcourse.com/why-were-all...
highflyersprcourse.com
Why we're allowing PR people to access our course for free - High Flyers PR
Young, bright PR people – the future of our industry – are losing out on an industrial scale. The short version: from today, we’re offering the High Flyers PR Course for free to help upskill people lo...
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
This arrived on my desk the morning the US election results landed. At the time, I didn’t have the resilience to open the pages. Today is that day.
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Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Asked whether they believe platforms should be held responsible for false information, a majority in each country believe that they should Views in the US are strong but a bit more ambivalent: 65% support responsibility for social media platforms and 24% believe they shouldn't be held accountable
A chart showing most people want platforms to be held responsible for showing false information
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Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
We've just published a NEW REPORT by @waqasejaz.bsky.social and others on the role of digital platforms in today's media environments. It's funded by @knightfdn.bsky.social and based on survey data from 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇪🇸🇩🇪🇧🇷🇦🇷🇯🇵🇰🇷 🧵 Findings in thread 🔗 Full report reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/what-do-peop...
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
What do people want? Views on platforms and the digital public sphere in eight countries
Our research explores how people use platforms for news and information about politics, while also remaining sceptical of the information they see there.
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Kriszta Satori @fulelo.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
#BBCNews - New drone activity reported near Suffolk and Norfolk US airbases www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
New drone activity reported near Suffolk and Norfolk US airbases
There are fresh reports of drone activity near USAF installations in Norfolk and Suffolk.
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Kriszta Satori @fulelo.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
#BBCNews - London's 850-year-old food markets to close www.bbc.com/news/article... #Smithfield
bbc.com
Smithfield and Billingsgate: Meat and fish markets to close
Smithfield and Billingsgate markets, which have traded in London for hundreds of years, face the axe.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
The scrutiny and governance involved in the pursuit and protection of truth
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Taylor Owen, Director of The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University, writes that the merger of state and tech power is a fundamental challenge to democratic governance in the digital age. www.techpolicy.press/on-the-comin...
techpolicy.press
On the Coming Merger of Tech and State Power | TechPolicy.Press
Taylor Owen writes that the merger of state and tech power is a fundamental challenge to democratic governance in the digital age.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
‘No one can say anything these days’. Elon must be right about us living in a police state.…
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Kriszta Satori @fulelo.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
#BBCNews - #Russian deserter reveals war secrets of guarding #nuclear base www.bbc.com/news/article... By @willvernon.bsky.social
bbc.com
Russian deserter reveals war secrets of guarding nuclear base
A combat alert was in place on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, he tells the BBC.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Principles, only really known when tested www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Oxford scientist resigns from Royal Society over Elon Musk’s continuing fellowship
Prof Dorothy Bishop said fellowship was ‘a contradiction of all the values’ of UK’s national academy of sciences
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
@rosebeaumont.bsky.social proud to be your #1
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Thanks to @stuartbruce.biz for sharing @skircle.bsky.social for Monday-fun and everybody else along for the ride
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
First they came for truth… then they came for the system behind it. Language matters, see how issue framing - ‘censorship cartel’ - is at play #misinformation
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Jesper Andersen @jesperandersen.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Introducing: The Executive Brief 📄 👀 A new monthly commentary where I try to connect the dots between a number of great reports and studies on #PR, #communication and #ai #artificialintelligence. This is a 'soft launch' - the concept is still in development. 😉 www.linkedin.com/pulse/execut...
linkedin.com
The Executive Brief #1 - November 2024
The accelerating shifts in how and where audiences consume news is forcing corporate communication to rethink Public Relations and media strategies and learn to operate in new channels and formats. At...
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
@ggodsal.bsky.social 👋 stranger. Lovely to see you here
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POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 24/11/2024
Moscow is prepared to launch a wave of cyberattacks against NATO allies that could leave millions without power, according to a senior United Kingdom minister.
politico.eu
Russia’s ‘aggressive’ cyber warfare poses threat to NATO, UK warns
Russian state-aligned groups have stepped up their cyberattacks against NATO countries in the past year, according to a senior British minister.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Bert rage away, we’ll be hiding away in a Conclave preview screening. youtu.be/JX9jasdi3ic
youtu.be
CONCLAVE - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters October 25
YouTube video by Focus Features
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Rather than despair what the next four years brings, practical guidance for avoiding the elitism trap and for safeguarding a progressive future www.politico.com/news/magazin...
politico.com
I Watched Orbán Destroy Hungary’s Democracy. Here’s My Advice for the Trump Era.
To dismantle the machinery of autocracy, you first need to understand how it works.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
This community certainly feels very warm and lovely. Grateful to the Queen of crisis @katehartley.bsky.social for popping me amongst this esteemed crowd of #crisiscomms experts.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 23/11/2024
Events of the coming months & years will challenge our democratic institutions & norms. One of the defences against authoritarianism is radical transparency. If you've experience w/JavaScript, particularly EJS & D3.js, join our open-source @Polidashboard.org proj. socialmedialab.ca/2024/01/23/m...
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
First charge under National Security Act #sabotage #espionage www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...
theguardian.com
UK man admits Ukraine-linked arson attack on London warehouse
Jake Reeves, 23, also pleads guilty to accepting payment from a foreign intelligence agency
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Today’s mood.
Retro war style poster showing importance of fact checking in an information war.
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
@rodcartwright.bsky.social well hello sunshine
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Lou Watson @ideascout.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Emotions in the aisles: marketers have long known that if you want to earn attention you use emotion. Evidence on how this is playing out in Parliament: ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Emotions in the aisles: Unpacking the use of emotive language in the UK House of Commons
The use of emotive rhetoric in legislative debates has attracted increasing scholarly attention in political science research. Building on recent scholarship, I examine the conditions under which emo....
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