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Mike Wendling

@wendling.bsky.social
5.8K followers 341 following 685 posts

Reporting on conspiracy theorists and the far-right. Substack: thedayofreckoning.substack.com Latest book: tinyurl.com/muuf3tk Go Bills.

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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 1h
Essentially interested are aligned.
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Agreiz @agreiz.bsky.social · 3h
The Trump administration wants to protect russian disinformation. disa.org/state-depart...
disa.org
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 4h
It’s odd to be an American speaker at #disinfo2026 after the US government has pressured its allies to drop support … while I’d conservatively say half of what I’ve heard on panels concerns *Russian* disinformation 🤔 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
EU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ request
Lithuania and Canada were also pressured to withdraw, and days before #Disinfo2026, logos were wiped off website
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Ben Shultz @benmshultz.net · 7h
The US State Department has decided to showcase its love of free speech by bullying an independent research conference. #Disinfo2026 "For too long, governments have exploited the pretext of combatting misinformation and disinformation for politically motivated reasons" 🤡🤡🤡 So FrEe SpEeCh, amirite?
theglobeandmail.com
Canada drops sponsorship of conference that cites U.S. as foreign-interference actor
Officials will no longer chair sessions at the event in Lithuania, including one on disinformation in the Arctic
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Scoiattolo @scarnecchia.net · 17h
And there it is #disinfo2026
theguardian.com
EU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ request
Lithuania and Canada were also pressured to withdraw, and days before #Disinfo2026, logos were wiped off website
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Paranoid Hemorrhoid @paranoidhemorrhoid.bsky.social · 21h
Exposing my disinformation campaign is censorship! I should be allowed to mislead people without anyone criticizing.
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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 07/10/2026
Two panels at the #Disinfo2026 conference seem to have particularly upset the MAGA people. It would be a shame if people weren’t aware of them.
Day 1, October 7, 11:45 - 12:30
Under attack: How the counter-disinformation community is dealing with US government pressure
#solutions
room: Zeta
Panel
On 23 December 2025, the US government (USG) imposed travel bans and deportation orders on five European figures - former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, Imran Ahmed, Clare Melford, Anna-Lena von
Hodenberg, and Josephine Ballon - accusing them of censoring US social media platforms.
The use of legal intimidation to wage personal attacks raises its own free-speech concerns as well as questions about the appropriate use of legal punishment in a policy debate. The United States Government's attacks to intimidate individuals and organisations are an unprecedented escalation in defense of US corporations seeking to avoid regulation and criticism. This panel will examine the chilling effect these tactics can potentially have on the community of researchers, journalists, and former government officials who fight disinformation, propaganda and hate speech online. The panel will also discuss how some are fighting back against these tactics.
Speakers:
Claire Pershan, Coalition for Independent Technology Research
Josephine Ballon, HateAid
Chair:
Gregory Rohde, EU DisinfoLabDay 1, October 7, 10:45 - 11:45
USA as a FIMI threat: acknowledge, adapt, push back #infospaces
room: Alfa
Presentations
This session addresses one of the most uncomfortable questions in the counter-disinformation field today: how did the United States become a FIMI threat for Europe? The session will explore how the counters disinformation community rebuilds resilience without Washington, what solidarity looks like in a fractured transatlantic environment, and how to push back against on these operations.
Speakers:
Adam Fivenson, Center for Security, Innovation & New Technology at American University Alex Finley, Former officer of CIA's Directorate of Operations, Centre for Strategic Advantage Emerson Brooking, Nonresident Senior Fellow, DFRLab
Chair:
Carlos Hernández-Echevarría, Fundación Maldita.es
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 23h
Yes - a number of attendees have received the same email thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/a-note-fro...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
A note from the anti-anti-disinformation lobby
And what exactly is censorship, anyway?
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Ben Shultz @benmshultz.net · 05/10/2026
Michael Shellenberger appears to be preparing another piece falsely claiming that a conference of researchers studying disinformation is tantamount to a shadowy cabal of censorship. Spoiler alert: conferences, in fact, are the definition of free speech. My response to his questions is below.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 23h
Here’s what I wrote after receiving the same thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/a-note-fro...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
A note from the anti-anti-disinformation lobby
And what exactly is censorship, anyway?
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Reposted by Mike Wendling
Nina Jankowicz @ninajankowicz.com · 05/10/2026
Shellenberger is seemingly preparing to smear a bunch of people attending a conference on disinformation this week. Ten bucks says he’s gonna claim the researchers there are cEnSoRiNg yOu!!!1 In reality they’re presenting their ideas. Talking. Debating. You know, using their speech rights.
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Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
An example of FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference) in action at the @disinfo.eu conference? Apparently someone in the U.S. did not agree with the topic of a session named "USA as a FIMI threat: acknowledge, adapt, push back" and applied pressure on the sponsors...
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I’m at this year’s EUvsDisinfo conference speaking on a panel about conspiracies, bad actors and the limits of fact-checking. The anti-anti-disinformation lobby isn’t happy. thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/a-note-fro...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
A note from the anti-anti-disinformation lobby
And what exactly is censorship, anyway?
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
It’s not like those conspiracy theorists are setting off bombs or anything like … oh www.bbc.com/news/article... Upon arrest he thought he was getting nabbed for Facebook posts 🤔
bbc.com
Man jailed for 15 years over Sidcup Ulez camera blast
Kevin Rees, 63, faces a tougher sentence because the offence had a "terrorism connection".
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A man was arrested for making terroristic threats and released shortly after. Not in the UK but in … Texas? www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Man accused in plot to attack Texas Capitol building is released on bond
Authorities said he planned to attack the Capitol on Thursday. He was arrested at his home early Wednesday.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
What a weird little conspiracy shindig. Trump has no need for the J6ers and the prospect of government cash appears remote. But still, they are out of prison and spreading crazy nonsense. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
Proud Boys Convicted Over Jan. 6 Go From Prosecutions to Pardons to Premiere
The gala screening of the documentary “American Martyrs” was the latest effort by Trump supporters to rewrite the history of the Capitol attack.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Why would you not want to stop foreign interference in elections? People have their reasons. thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/russia-gat...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Russia-gate-gate
What’s true and what’s false when it comes to election interference?
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
!!
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David Cooper @davidbcooper.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Starting my day making some art.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
One of the reasons Russian disinformation operations have been so successful in dividing countries is because some very powerful people and interest groups in the West continue to deny they exist. thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/russia-gat...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Russia-gate-gate
What’s true and what’s false when it comes to election interference?
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Journalists have difficulty dealing with these people because they repeat some of the more moderate positions out there, but also, more to the point - they lie. thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/yes-those-...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Yes, those masked thugs dressed in black are ‘far right’
How extremists use weasel words, mottes and baileys to hide their true beliefs
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The average anti-immigrant group gives air to a whole host of conspiracy theories - chemtrails, “great replacement”, fake wars, anti-vax, Covid conspiracies and more. Something to keep in mind when their leaders say they are reasonable people with legitimate concerns.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
London is not like you think it is. A conspiracy-obsessed political project and big tech have conspired to paint a distorted picture of one of the world’s greatest cities. thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/why-do-so-...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Why do so many suffer from London Derangement Syndrome?
MAGA warriors and big tech have painted a warped picture of the British capital
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Oh but it's "satire". It doesn't have to be true, or even funny.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
London is not like you think it is. A conspiracy-obsessed political project and big tech have conspired to paint a distorted picture of one of the world’s greatest cities. thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/why-do-so-...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Why do so many suffer from London Derangement Syndrome?
MAGA warriors and big tech have painted a warped picture of the British capital
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
According to these documents, which seem to be largely an interview with his father, Thomas Crook bears a resemblance to Luigi Mangione, and neither seem particularly part of a “crazy lib Dem” or “MAGA nut” camp nypost.com/2026/09/14/u...
nypost.com
Exclusive | Chilling new details about Trump shooter Thomas Crooks revealed in bombshell FBI docs: emotionless since birth
“When Thomas was born he did not scream and he was always quiet from that point on,” his father, Matthew, told feds in newly unearthed investigation documents exclusively viewed by The Post.…
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
So many people have a warped view of London and now there’s new research which spells it all out. Two groups in particular overestimate the danger of the capital: Reform supporters and TikTok users. And yet London is safer than ever. What’s going on? thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/why-do-so-...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Why do so many suffer from London Derangement Syndrome?
MAGA warriors and big tech have painted a warped picture of the British capital
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The slightly more serious and mainstream version of the alt-right - the alt-light, as it used to be called - has successfully rebranded as “New Right”. It’s the same old ideas though. open.substack.com/pub/noahpini...
open.substack.com
The anti-American Right
Bo French’s rightist movement is a dead end for our nation. Fortunately, it’s beatable.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Extreme views dressed up as unfunny “satire” … defence of paedophilia … schoolboy stupidity masquerading as conservative thought … has The Spectator found its next Rod Liddle? spectator.com/article/i-am...
spectator.com
I am a persecuted human rights icon
Why was Milo Yiannopoulos deported? The broadcaster and commentator reveals the inside story of his arrest and deportation from America.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
As usually these days the “satire” spewed out by “provocateurs” is unfunny, outrageous, and tells you exactly how awful (no joking) they really are. archive.ph/xVhyf
archive.ph
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
These people are ridiculous. They claim to stand for free speech.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
When given the choice to stand up for a far-right masked thug or a lifeboat volunteer, this member of parliament knows which side he’s on
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
How do you trigger a neo-fascist? Call them “far right”. substack.com/@thedayofrec...
substack.com
Yes, those masked thugs dressed in black are ‘far right’
How extremists use weasel words, mottes and baileys to hide their true beliefs
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Why do extremists hate being called far right? And how do they use weird language about mottes and baileys to dishonestly hide their true beliefs? thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/yes-those-...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Yes, those masked thugs dressed in black are ‘far right’
How extremists use weasel words, mottes and baileys to hide their true beliefs
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
After he runs for president, I’m assuming
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Tucker Carlson, apparently attempting to further position himself as a slightly more scholarly version of Candace Owens, is releasing a series all about the “cover up” over the Oklahoma City bombing. tuckercarlson.com/theokcbombfi...
tuckercarlson.com
The OKCBOMB Files: An Unofficial History | A TCN Docuseries
The case of the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in American history has been closed for nearly 30 years. We’re reopening it. Only on TCN.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
It appears that some people are upset about the description of yesterday’s balaclava-clad activists led by a Tommy Robinson ally as “far right”. They insist they are just ordinary mainstream people, even though they look like thugs, act like fascists, and are led by extremists.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I guess?
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
A masked far-right proto-militia has blocked traffic at the port of Dover. Stopping legitimate commerce is I guess a protest against illegal immigration. This chubby bloke in a Yankees hat is filming the whole thing for propaganda purposes.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
A bunch of right-wing influencers including one of the trollish new Pentagon-accredited reporters accepted free trips to Poland and hung out with a nationalist politician without disclosing the funding source. The story was broken by a conservative Substack: www.currentrevolt.com/p/texas-inde...
currentrevolt.com
Texas Independent Journalists Accept Mysterious Gift Trip Overseas
Totally no strings attached.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
When a young athlete dies, the anti-vaxxers rise up, and blame the tragedy on vaccines. *Every single time.* It’s called ghouling and even though the pandemic has faded, the anti-vaccine activists are still out there, ready to pounce. thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/ghoulish-a...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
Ghoulish anti-vaxxers are still ghouling
Conspiracy theorists have learned to never let a tragedy go to waste
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Murder rates at Oxford University in the late medieval period were enormous, roughly the same as present day Kingston or the most dangerous parts of Chicago immediately post Covid. www.cam.ac.uk/stories/medi...
cam.ac.uk
Medieval Murder Maps: homicidal Oxford students in the 14th century
How students made Oxford the murder capital of late medieval England
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Dr Emma L Briant 🇬🇧 in 🇺🇸 w/ 🐕 @emma-briant.co.uk · 27/12/2024
I'm working on a starter pack... its focus is Information Warfare, Covert Ops and Propaganda... trying to fill gaps on existing lists of 'disinfo' experts and bring in a wider sweep of experts on covert ops & information warfare, broadly defined. go.bsky.app/7NTCqKZ
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Dr Emma L Briant 🇬🇧 in 🇺🇸 w/ 🐕 @emma-briant.co.uk · 25/11/2025
NEW: My Udemy course 'Propaganda & Disinformation for Beginners' has helped students in 26 countries worldwide strengthen their armour against disinformation since it launched 2 years ago. Techniques Cambridge Analytica used to secretly profile millions have become a vastly profitable industry.. /1
World map showing students from 26 countries and in 9 languages.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
How it works: -MAGA influencer highlights tragic story of the death of a young athlete -around half of responses mention “vaccines” -people drawn in by MAGA or just the emotional content get exposed to anti-vax conspiracy theory. -Repeat -Repeat -Repeat Repeat Repeat Repeat x.com/collinrugg/s...
x.com
Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) on X
College football player MicahJo Barnett has sadly passed away moments after he scored a touchdown in Liberty, Missouri. The game was suspended after Barnett reportedly collapsed on the sidelines. Barnett was taken by an ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Another big W for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos detained by ICE
The British citizen, who lives and works in the US, has supported Trump and ICE agents in the past.
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
A self-described ‘race realist’ kicked off the media storm against Jason Arday. What’s a ‘race realist’, and does the theory – also known as ‘scientific racism’ – have any more merit than, say, the idea that the earth is flat? substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
What is ‘race realism’?
The alt-right’s favorite pseudointellectual theory and its role in the Jason Arday tragedy
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
What’s a ‘race realist’? Why do none of the news articles about the sad story of Jason Arday explain that term? Here’s how a dusty old idea from the alt-right reared its head and set off a tragic chain of events: thedayofreckoning.substack.com/p/what-is-ra...
thedayofreckoning.substack.com
What is ‘race realism’?
The alt-right’s favorite pseudointellectual theory and its role in the Jason Arday tragedy
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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
What started as a wacky alt-right conspiracy theory is now being stated outright by some of the most influential people in the world. Fact checking - even by Musk’s own systems - can’t stop the lies from spreading.
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ESC Liverpool @escliverpool.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
We have some new speaker announcements this week. Firstly @jimalkhalili.bsky.social! Jim Al-Khalili is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Surrey and one of Britain’s leading science communicators.
Picture of Jim Al-Khalili with the ESC Liverpool branding above
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