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perspicacity

@perspicacity.media
47 followers 198 following 49 posts

Investigative journalism and insight on disinformation, corruption & human rights. Media literacy for the modern information environment. www.perspicacity.media

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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 29/07/2026
The Amazon, Ukraine, and Russian state oppression: Five documentary films that demonstrate a determination to keep war crimes, human rights violations, and the risks to our environment out of the shadows open.substack.com/pub/richardn...
open.substack.com
The Amazon, Ukraine, and Russian state oppression
A decade of unforgettable films from Sheffield DocFest (Part 3)
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 16/07/2026
This new series on Perspicacity reviews some highlights from a decade of extraordinary films at the acclaimed Sheffield DocFest. Pt 1 includes: 🎥 Jim: The James Foley Story 🎥 Cameraperson 🎥 Icarus 🎥 Under the Wire #journalism #conflict #corruption #warcrimes #DocFest substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Frontline Journalism, Doping in Russian Sports, Nuclear Arms
10 years of extraordinary documentary films - Part 1 (2016-2018)
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 03/07/2026
Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' is a networked ecosystem that can adapt & endure independently of Tehran My latest post on Perspicacity summarises a groundbreaking new report by @peterjsalisbury.bsky.social for @tcfdotorg.bsky.social that explains this evolution & its consequences tinyurl.com/36j3n7yj
tinyurl.com
Rethinking Iran's 'Axis of Resistance'
From central hub to networked ecosystem
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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
That the Somali gov release first said Turkey then revised to generic “international partners” is either A) direct confirmation the phrase international partners often means Turkey or other non-US nations. (Very likely) Or B) there was a major factual error. www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
al-monitor.com
Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know
A Somali Defense Ministry statement initially said Turkish F-16s carried out strikes on Al-Shabab targets before a later version referred only to “international partners.”
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Thanassis Cambanis @tcambanis.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Incredible research from @peterjsalisbury.bsky.social and team shows how Iran diffuses to its network the knowledge to manufacture and adapt. It's not just about drones; it's about navigating a networked world. "Beyond the Axis" changed how I understand the Iran war and read the future.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 09/06/2026
5/5 Here's a link to the post: richardnield.substack.com/p/disinforma... #AI #Disinformation #MediaLiteracy #Deepfakes #Journalism #InformationIntegrity
richardnield.substack.com
Media & Disinformation Update: AI & Manipulation
Deepfakes, intellectual property, and AI slop
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 09/06/2026
4/5 The common thread is that AI is making it harder to distinguish between authentic and synthetic information, while creating new opportunities for manipulation, propaganda and abuse
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 09/06/2026
3/5 ▪️Growing concern over AI-generated sexualised imagery and 'nudify' apps ▪️A landmark challenge to Google's use of journalistic content in Brazil
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 09/06/2026
2/5 Featuring: ▪️AI detection tools wrongly identifying genuine images as fake ▪️ Leading AI chatbots repeating Russian, Iranian and Chinese state-backed disinformation ▪️ AI-generated videos used in an apparent influence operation targeting Moldova
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 09/06/2026
Published! 💫 🥳 😊 💥 😍⚡🎉 1/5 This latest update on my online magazine 'Perspicacity' focuses on the growing challenge of trust in an information environment increasingly shaped by AI
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 04/06/2026
open.substack.com
Media & Disinformation Update, June 2026 – Weaponized disinformation
Elections, war, and propaganda
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 04/06/2026
Here's a link to the latest Media & Disinformation newsletter from perspicacity, focused on #FIMI and #InfluenceOperations: open.substack.com/pub/richardn... Featuring investigations from @rsf.org, @dfrlab.bsky.social, @occrp.org, @newsguard.bsky.social, and @forbidden-stories.bsky.social
open.substack.com
Media & Disinformation Update, June 2026 – Weaponized disinformation
Elections, war, and propaganda
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 04/06/2026
Influence operations – including FIMI – often feature disinformation, but they can also amplify genuine information, or restrict access to information in a targeted way. This update focuses on influence operations carried out by China & Russia – though they are far from the only perpetrators.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 04/06/2026
FIMI is co-ordinated, deceptive behaviour by foreign actors to manipulate the information environment of another state. The aim is usually to undermine the values or political processes of that state, often during war or elections.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 04/06/2026
Influence operations that target another country are often known as Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 04/06/2026
Influence operations can be carried out by governments or by non-state actors, and can target people’s opinions on anything from a domestic political figure or a wartime adversary to a contentious issue such as climate change
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 04/06/2026
The latest Media & Disinformation update on my Substack, 'perspicacity', focuses on investigations highlighting how information is weaponized to skew how people see the world at critical times. At scale, such practices are often referred to as influence operations.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 02/06/2026
Last week I had a notification telling me that my Substack, 'Perspicacity', ranks 87th worldwide on the ‘rising’ list in World Politics. 2 years after I started this magazine, it encouraged me to believe that I’m doing something worthwhile, & given me renewed energy to continue
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 02/06/2026
Moscow is doing all it can to influence coming elections in Armenia in its favour...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 28/05/2026
richardnield.substack.com/p/crime-and-...
richardnield.substack.com
Crime & Corruption Update - May 2026
Polymarket, cybercrime, scam centres
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 28/05/2026
Includes work from @bellingcat.com @occrp.org @c4ads.org @rferl.org.web.brid.gy and more #Cybercrime #Corruption #OrganizedCrime #InvestigativeJournalism
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 28/05/2026
Published! The latest international Crime & Corruption update from Substack magazine Perspicacity. Featuring recent investigations and reporting on cybercrime, scam centres, prediction markets, opioid exports, military corruption, cocaine trafficking and sanctions evasion
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 15/05/2026
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
UPDATE: Media parrots Pentagon’s low-ball cost estimate for Iran War
This week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Acting Undersecretary Jules Hurst, the Pentagon’s Chief Financial Officer, answered questions about the cost of the Iran War while testifying before House ...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 15/05/2026
These figures are staggering. Independent estimates suggest the US war on Iran is costing more than $1bn a day…
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 15/05/2026
4/4 And most of the Golden Dome funds are expected to come from a tranche of the defence budget over which there is little Congressional oversight popular.info/p/the-17-tri...
popular.info
The $1.7 trillion military budget includes a massive slush fund for Trump’s political allies
Last week, President Donald Trump declared that the federal government cannot afford to spend “any money for day care” because “we’re fighting wars.” According to Trump, the well-being of America’s ch...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 15/05/2026
3/4 Major Trump donors and allies - including Elon Musk and Palantir founder Peter Thiel - are expected to benefit from huge Golden Dome contracts.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 15/05/2026
2/4 A chunk of the money is earmarked for the president’s ‘Golden Dome’ project: a space-based missile defence system of questionable efficacy.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 15/05/2026
1/4 Trump’s $1.7 trillion in projected defence spending in 2027 is double that of previous administrations, according to independent analysis quoted in this article in Popular Information.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 12/05/2026
2/2 In this my latest piece published in 'perspicacity', I’ve pulled together some recent developments highlighting the increasingly politicised nature of today’s information environment. richardnield.substack.com/p/media-and-...
richardnield.substack.com
Media & Disinformation Briefing: The Politics of Information
AI election propaganda, Pentagon press restrictions, and US influence campaigns
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 12/05/2026
1/2 New Media & Disinformation Briefing: AI-generated election propaganda in Europe, Pentagon restrictions on journalists, and new US efforts to recruit influencers and public figures abroad to help push American messaging online.
richardnield.substack.com
Media & Disinformation Briefing: The Politics of Information
AI election propaganda, Pentagon press restrictions, and US influence campaigns
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 07/05/2026
I’ve pulled together a roundup of some of the key stories here: richardnield.substack.com/p/media-and-...
richardnield.substack.com
Media & Disinformation Bulletin - 7 May 2026
Courts and governments take action against social media companies for online harms
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 07/05/2026
They include landmark court rulings against Meta and YouTube, growing scrutiny of TikTok under the EU’s Digital Services Act, and new efforts by governments to address child safety, deepfakes and disinformation online...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 07/05/2026
Some significant recent developments around online harms and platform accountability that are worth paying attention to...
richardnield.substack.com
Media & Disinformation Bulletin - 7 May 2026
Courts and governments take action against social media companies for online harms
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 24/04/2026
How to define ChatGPT? Generative AI doesn’t just change how information spreads - it changes how it’s produced. The problem is that our laws are built for platforms that distribute content, not generate it. Read my latest piece on perspicacity: tinyurl.com/mpzp863t #AI #Disinfo #genAI
tinyurl.com
ChatGPT: platform, publisher, or something else?
AI systems blur the line between distributing and generating information. The law depends on that distinction, and is struggling to keep up.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 05/04/2026
'The Fog of War' - How disinformation, viral social media and AI manipulation are shaping perceptions of the Iran conflict. New piece out today in perspicacity #Disinformation #AI #IranWar‌ richardnield.substack.com/p/the-fog-of...
richardnield.substack.com
The Fog of War
Distortion and deception in the Iran conflict
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 22/03/2026
If you’re looking for something to read this weekend, here's a brief summary of 3 pieces worth your while - on AI, misinformation, and distorted platforms incentives open.substack.com/pub/richardn...
open.substack.com
Distorted incentives
3 pieces worth reading on how online platforms benefit from misinformation
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
14/14 I’ll be writing more about stories like this here this weekend: richardnield.substack.com
richardnield.substack.com
perspicacity | Richard Nield | Substack
An insight into global affairs focusing on disinformation, corruption, and human rights. Featuring rigorous investigative journalism and fact-based analysis, helping readers navigate an increasingly d...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
13/14 Rising energy prices and a distracted US reduce the incentive to intervene. t.co/7bREYyuO2I
t.co
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/why-russia-watching-iran-burn
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
12/14 @foreignaffairs.com on Russia’s muted response to attacks on its ally Iran. Moscow’s limited support reflects both the constraints on its power and the potential upsides for Russia of prolonged conflict...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
11/14 This valuable research looks into how scam centres are structured and enabled. t.co/PHWIHA7rvh
t.co
https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/mapping-global-scam-center-phenomenon/
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
10/14 The Global Initiative (GI-TOC) on the rise of industrial-scale “scam centres”. Fraud has become one of the most pervasive and lucrative forms of organised crime, generating an estimated $1 trillion globally in 2024...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
9/14 The study shows that despite efforts to regulate online media, misinformation is growing, and platforms are benefiting from it. t.co/hJdTtBcuj1
t.co
https://science.feedback.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/SIMODS-Report-2.pdf
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
8/14 A large-scale European study suggests misinformation is not incidental, but structural. Across TikTok, X, YouTube and others, misleading content often outperforms credible sources, and is frequently monetised...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
7/14 A (perhaps unsurprising?) example of how platform profit motives drive what people see. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
6/14 One whistleblower describes internal decisions to allow more “borderline” content - including conspiracy theories and abuse - because it drove engagement...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
5/14 BBC on whistleblower reports of how Meta and TikTok adjusted algorithms after finding outrage drove engagement.
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
4/14 Raising obvious questions about how journalism is cited (or obscured) in AI-driven systems. www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/chat...
niemanlab.org
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok are all bad at crediting news outlets, but ChatGPT is the worst (at least in this study)
"ChatGPT, one of the most widely used models, covered distinctive content in 54% of responses but almost never credited the originating newsroom."
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
3/14 @niemanlab.org on how AI models handle news attribution. A study of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok found only a small fraction of responses cited original reporting - even when reproducing distinctive content...
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
2/14 They're a mix of investigations and reporting on disinformation, global corruption, and geopolitics - with an emphasis on what they reveal about how information systems shape events and opinion
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perspicacity @perspicacity.media · 21/03/2026
1/14 If you’ve got time this weekend, here are 5 pieces worth reading...
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