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Sam Joiner

@samjoiner.bsky.social
9.8K followers 469 following 86 posts

Creative Director at the Financial Times. I lead visual journalism strategy and oversee visual investigations, visual stories, design and pictures.

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Reposted by Sam Joiner
Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Emailing a public email address to notify a government of an AI hack does not inspire confidence that OpenAI has the processes in place to deal with these issues - or that it treated it seriously www.ft.com/content/5613...
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Chris Cook @chriscook.news · 21/09/2026
A big new story from us: a big new leak means that we can put numbers on the scale of A7 -- the Kremlin's huge money-laundering machine. $6.9bn laundered through the international banking system via SWIFT, with $1.1bn sent to StanChart alone. www.ft.com/content/3848...
ft.com
Kremlin-backed forgery scheme moved $6.9bn through global banks
FT finds thousands of Russian payments handled by Standard Chartered, Citigroup and other international groups in vast leak from inside fintech A7
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New: The era of AI warfare has arrived. Our latest visual investigation explores how autonomous systems are being integrated on the battlefield, as models advance in ways even their creators cannot fully predict. www.ft.com/content/6864...
ft.com
The era of AI warfare has arrived
Autonomous systems are being rapidly integrated on the battlefield, as models advance in ways even their creators cannot fully predict
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
New: The mercenaries fighting in Africa’s forgotten war In a new visual investigation, we worked w the brilliant @khoureld.bsky.social to expose how hundreds of Colombian mercenaries were brought to Sudan by a shadow network. At the end of the journey lay a city of corpses as.ft.com/r/782ad9e1-a...
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The mercenaries fighting in Africa’s forgotten war
Hundreds of Colombian fighters were brought to Sudan by a shadow network. At the end of the journey lay a city of corpses
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Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 15/08/2026
Good morning time is tight today, but here are a few giftlinks to highlights from FT Weekend. First up this eye opening and brilliant reporting about the shadow network fighting the world's bloodiest war as.ft.com/r/147ade5b-b...
as.ft.com
The mercenaries fighting in Africa’s forgotten war
Hundreds of Colombian fighters were brought to Sudan by a shadow network. At the end of the journey lay a city of corpses
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
New: How Israel is making southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’. @rayajalabi.ft.com and Aditi Bhandari worked with @lighthousereports.com to reveal the IDF’s destruction of critical infrastructure — damage that has made returning near impossible for thousands of displaced people. as.ft.com/r/9680cc7f-8...
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John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · 31/07/2026
New from me: Until recently, the gap between comfortably-off and just-getting-started could plausibly be crossed in a decade or two of hard work. Growth in asset prices means that’s no longer true: even a lifetime of striving doesn’t offer a realistic prospect of feeling you’ve “made it”.
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
DR Congo’s cobalt exports carry a hidden cargo: uranium. New visual investigation with @lighthousereports.com reveals how uranium-laced cobalt could enter covert supply chains hidden from regulators — raising proliferation concerns among DRC officials and nuclear experts. as.ft.com/r/7aa59487-e...
as.ft.com
DR Congo’s cobalt boom carries an unwanted cargo: uranium
Radioactive ores have become a proliferation risk in the land that supplied material for second world war atomic bombs
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rich harris @rich-harris.dev · 11/07/2026
this is a great piece, and i'm not just saying that because i'm quoted in it
“Until very recently,” Rich Harris told me, “the idea that you would effectively pay rent to a Silicon Valley company for the privilege of being able to write software would have been considered completely absurd.”
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Tan G. @tangandhara.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
RIP Stack Overflow 😞
Humans don't ask humans coding questions any more
Total monthly questions asked on Stack Overflow's forums
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Fascinating, beautifully written magazine cover story by @samlearner.bsky.social on how vibe coding is overwhelming the unsung human caretakers who keep the web running. Your weekend must read right here as.ft.com/r/1e761e4c-c...
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Who cleans up after the vibe-coding party?
Our obsession with AI code-writing tools is overwhelming the web’s unsung human caretakers
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Sam Learner @samlearner.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
NEW: a look at how surging power demands from data centers are helping to drive a shortage of electrical transformers ig.ft.com/transformers/
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 11/06/2026
the spacex/enshittification thesis gets a proper visual treatment. This is very nicely done: ig.ft.com/spacex-ipo/
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How SpaceX could pull millions of savers into Musk’s orbit
The world’s richest man is shooting for Mars. Ordinary investors may have no choice but to come along for the ride
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Alison Killing @alisonkilling.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
NEW: Xinjiang has the highest detention capacity in the world, according to FT analysis - enough space for almost 1 in 40 people in the region - more than five years after the Chinese govt announced the camps had closed.
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
www.ft.com/content/5ba3...
ft.com
Donald Trump’s Board of Peace fund is empty
Despite $17bn in pledges, organisation is stuck in limbo with no money flowing to projects in Gaza
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FT Edit @ftedit.ft.com · 27/04/2026
A US satellite in blue tracks two Chinese satellites. Prudent monitoring — or rehearsal for combat? A high-stakes arms race is taking place in orbit; the winner will "control Earth by controlling space”. But things can go very wrong, very quickly. Today's Big Read is on #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/iwgFTZe
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Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 02/04/2026
Good morning and Happy Nigella Day! Because all is briefly right with the world and as a special treat, it's free to read. www.ft.com/content/4819...
ft.com
How did I end up here? — Nigella Lawson’s first FT column
A defence of food writing (and a recipe for rice pudding) as Nigella returns to her alma mater newspaper
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 19/03/2026
Iran allows handful of favoured ships through Strait of Hormuz ft.trib.al/27SrUF0
ft.trib.al
Iran allows handful of favoured ships through Strait of Hormuz
Passage for vessels is designed to show Iran’s dominance over waterway and limit diplomatic isolation, analysts suspect
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Sam Learner @samlearner.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
some interesting stuff happening lately with the truth machines as.ft.com/r/40518eb1-4...
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Ultra-short-term bets add ‘even more mania’ to crypto trading
[FREE TO READ] Five and 15-minute contracts have surged in popularity as cryptocurrencies have fallen from recent peaks
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Qatar’s energy minister has warned that war in the Middle East could “bring down the economies of the world”, predicting that all Gulf energy exporters would shut down production within days and drive oil to $150 a barrel. Great scoop by Andrew England and Malcolm Moore as.ft.com/r/4210f11c-e...
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Qatar warns war will force Gulf to stop energy exports ‘within days’
[FREE TO READ] Gas producer says it will take ‘weeks to months’ to restore deliveries after Iranian drone strike
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Chris Cook @chriscook.news · 24/02/2026
aaaaaand: 175 entities in the network were sanctioned today by the UK.
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Christopher Miller @christopherjm.ft.com · 23/02/2026
A terrifying glimpse into our dystopian future.
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Steve Chambers @planningtransport.co.uk · 23/02/2026
"Suspended above roads, hospitals and critical infrastructure, layers of netting criss-cross parts of the city so densely that in some districts the sky is barely visible."
Anti-drone netting now envelopes Kherson. People go about daily life with netting over the road.
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
New: Drones are redrawing the map of war in Ukraine. Relentless surveillance has pushed the battlefield 20km beyond the front, in both directions. Supplies arrive by drone; the wounded leave by robot. This is the “kill zone” — and the future of warfare. 👉 ft.com/kill-zone
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Russian oil income drops sharply as sanctions bite as.ft.com/r/def2a12a-c...
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Russian oil income drops sharply as sanctions bite
[FREE TO READ] Moscow’s energy revenues fell by a fifth in 2025 compared with previous year
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 25/01/2026
A city under siege: Minneapolis reels after another killing ft.trib.al/sdWQun9
ft.trib.al
A city under siege: Minneapolis reels after another killing
ICE could become the largest enforcement agency in the US, but critics say its behaviour is increasingly lawless
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Steven Bernard @sdbernard.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
For this graphic we compare the terrain of the three most expensive rail projects in the world. HS2 costs an eye watering $537mn per km despite being built on relatively flat terrain. Read Gill Plimmer, @pickardje.bsky.social and Jonathan Vincent's excellent article www.ft.com/content/3f73...
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 13/01/2026
This is *before* the new budget increases, which could take the total cost over £100bn www.ft.com/content/3f73...
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FT Edit @ftedit.ft.com · 10/12/2025
Eye scans, licence plate readers, spyware: technology used to catch criminals and terrorists is being repurposed to fulfil Trump's pledge to deport 1mn undocumented migrants this year. Critics fear it’s the thin end of the authoritarian wedge. An #FTEdit thread on America’s new surveillance state 👇
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
New: Trump’s immigration data dragnet. @peter.andringa.me investigates the brokers and tools behind the US administration’s deportation drive. Former officials raised concerns about the volume of data, lack of oversight and shift from criminal to immigration work. ig.ft.com/us-ice-surve...
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Peter Andringa @peter.andringa.me · 10/12/2025
NEW: We took a deep dive into ICE's data dragnet: the data brokers, biometrics tools, and license plate readers powering Trump's deportation effort. Some of the contracts are for tools previous administrations deemed too intrusive.
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Trump’s immigration data dragnet
The US is pulling in vast amounts of personal information in its drive to deport 1mn people this year
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
New: The power crunch threatening America’s AI ambitions. Our visual story looks at how Big Tech is trying to close a data-centre power gap that could leave the industry 40% short of the electricity needed by 2028. “It’s going to be a white-knuckle ride,” one analyst told us. ⚡🤖 👉 ft.com/ai-power
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
as.ft.com/r/480a014d-3...
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The EU single market’s elephant in the room
[FREE TO READ] Small, often invisible barriers to trade affect products from businesses across Europe, including a fluffy Ikea pachyderm
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John Reed @johnreedwrites.ft.com · 03/12/2025
Fun FT visual story about the EU's internal barriers to trade (including ridiculous labelling requirements). It makes doing business in India - another multi-lingual, multi-state union - look like a walk in the park. as.ft.com/r/813c200e-2... @samjoiner.bsky.social @richardmilne.ft.com
as.ft.com
The EU single market’s elephant in the room
[FREE TO READ] Small, often invisible barriers to trade affect products from businesses across Europe, including a fluffy Ikea pachyderm
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
New: Major UK retailers are selling tuna from fisheries where crews say they endure beatings, gruelling hours and inadequate food. Some spend years at sea without visiting port. Our latest visual investigation by @upyorkshire.ft.com, Dan Clark and @inari-ta.bsky.social 👉 ig.ft.com/supermarket-...
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Lucy Rodgers @upyorkshire.ft.com · 21/11/2025
NEW: Our investigation finds a tuna supply chain riddled with exploitation and abuse - where fishermen spend months or even years at sea. Some describe threats, beatings and deception over pay. Yet the fish they catch is still ending up on our plates. ig.ft.com/supermarket-...
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The dark truth behind supermarket tuna
Major retailers are selling tuna from fisheries where crews say they are exploited and abused
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Alison Killing @alisonkilling.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Looking for a long read to go with your coffee this morning? The Line is a project of incredible hubris - we got the story of how it unravelled.
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Alison Killing @alisonkilling.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
NEW: The End of the Line: the centrepiece of Saudi Arabia’s Neom gigaproject - a 500m tall, 170km long wall-like building intended ultimately to house 9 million people - can’t get out of the ground, say more than 20 former Neom architects, engineers and senior executives. ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
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End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
New: The inside story of how The Line — the 500-metre-tall, mirror-glass structure that was the centrepiece of Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream — unravelled. @alisonkilling.bsky.social spoke to 20+ insiders to reveal how MBS’s utopia was undone by the laws of physics and finance. ft.com/saudi-neom-line
ft.com
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
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Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 06/11/2025
"everyone knows the project won’t work; it is now just a matter of letting MBS down gently" Deep dive on Neom focuses on The Line - a building planned at a scale that would run from London to the Norfolk coast but in the desert. Absolutely wild, absolutely doomed ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
ig.ft.com
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
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FT Visual & Data Journalism @data.ft.com · 06/11/2025
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled on.ft.com/47FBigb
on.ft.com
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Blood on the streets of El Fasher: satellite images and videos capture new atrocities in Sudan as RSF forces take the city, marking a new chapter in the country’s ruinous civil war. W/ William Wallis, @janatausch.bsky.social, @digitalcampbell.ft.com www.ft.com/content/f39c...
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
How Trump companies made $1bn from crypto. Outstanding investigative reporting from a crack FT team. on.ft.com/47bNR2L
on.ft.com
FT Investigation: How the Trump companies made $1bn from crypto
[FREE TO READ] The president and his family have built a rapidly growing digital assets empire which has been fuelled by the administration’s industry-friendly policies
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Laura Hughes @laurahughesft.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Lead is leaching into the environment and lurking in our homes. It's in soil, in water, in food, in our housing. And it's poisoning people. The first episode of Untold: Toxic Legacy launches October 22. Trailer here: open.spotify.com/episode/6M4H...
open.spotify.com
Spotify – Web Player
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
New: How mega batteries are unlocking an energy revolution. A boom in grid-scale storage is solving renewables’ reliability problem and extending the use of clean power. Latest visual story w/ @nassosstylianou.bsky.social @samlearner.bsky.social @inari-ta.bsky.social 🔋👉 ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
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How mega batteries are unlocking an energy revolution
Vast battery units are shoring up grids and extending the use of clean power
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
“I suspect if you were to ask most billionaires, ‘Where is your loyalty, with your country or with your money?’, most would say, ‘My loyalty is with my money.’” Thought-provoking piece on challenges of taxing the rich by Emma Agyemang. Come for the reporting, stay for the comments on.ft.com/48jmZjd
on.ft.com
The problem with taxing the rich
[FREE TO READ] Fiscal systems designed around income and consumption struggle to capture wealth, and billionaires are highly mobile
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Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
This weekend’s must read. Phenomenal reporting by the brilliant @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social
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Press Gazette @pressgazette.co.uk · 11/09/2025
Winner of Digital Storytelling (National/International) is the Financial Times @FT for “Are the robots finally coming?” #FutureMediaAwards
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Tom Cartwright @tomcartwright.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
This is amongst the best reported stories about the current state of ICE Air. Must read.
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Peter Andringa @peter.andringa.me · 28/08/2025
ICE plans to 6x its current budget for immigrant transportation and deportations. The money offers a potential windfall for a few contractors and charter airlines — some with close ties to the Trump campaign. Yet the system is already under strain, with significant concerns for detainees' safety: 🧵
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The booming business of Trump’s deportation flights
Companies are jostling for billions of dollars to fly immigrant detainees out of the US
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