Stuart Anderson-Davis
@srd212.bsky.social
PhD @ Columbia University; Tow Center for Digital Journalism; Historian of Disinformation & Deception. Crystal Palace FC. Views expressed are mine alone.
Thanks @thejerpano.bsky.social for the chance to write about #informationwarfare in the C19. Similarities between tactics in the 1830s and 2020s is pretty incredible. Instead of #AI and #socialmedia its newspapers and voluntary associations, but the deceptions and harms remain pretty consistent.
Check out this lineup of outstanding forum essays in the #JERPano Fall Vol. 46.
Thanks to @uncpress.bsky.social, the entire forum is freely available on Project MUSE for the next four weeks.
Download and share with friends, students and colleague! Link in 🧵 below.
Thanks to @uncpress.bsky.social, the entire forum is freely available on Project MUSE for the next four weeks.
Download and share with friends, students and colleague! Link in 🧵 below.
September 24, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Thanks @thejerpano.bsky.social for the chance to write about #informationwarfare in the C19. Similarities between tactics in the 1830s and 2020s is pretty incredible. Instead of #AI and #socialmedia its newspapers and voluntary associations, but the deceptions and harms remain pretty consistent.
V depressing. This is the crux:
"For most of his career, he had been charged with identifying the rare fake in a world of shared truths. But now fakes were the norm and truth was elusive."
The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/u...
"For most of his career, he had been charged with identifying the rare fake in a world of shared truths. But now fakes were the norm and truth was elusive."
The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/u...
The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes
www.nytimes.com
June 14, 2026 at 11:40 PM
V depressing. This is the crux:
"For most of his career, he had been charged with identifying the rare fake in a world of shared truths. But now fakes were the norm and truth was elusive."
The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/u...
"For most of his career, he had been charged with identifying the rare fake in a world of shared truths. But now fakes were the norm and truth was elusive."
The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/u...
Excellent @columjournreview.bsky.social essay on journalists submitting to military escorts + reporting restrictions + censor oversight. Would add that these tactics of #informationwarfare date back to 19th century too, inc. conflicts in Crimea, India & the U.S
www.cjr.org/feature/subv...
www.cjr.org/feature/subv...
Subversion of reality.
The Faustian bargain of embedding with the Israeli military in Gaza.
www.cjr.org
June 2, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Excellent @columjournreview.bsky.social essay on journalists submitting to military escorts + reporting restrictions + censor oversight. Would add that these tactics of #informationwarfare date back to 19th century too, inc. conflicts in Crimea, India & the U.S
www.cjr.org/feature/subv...
www.cjr.org/feature/subv...
Fascinating look at the companies/techniques boosting content and shaping online narratives.
Same plan was there for print sphere of 18-20 century but now with a level of unimaginable sophistication (and sometimes stupidity)
(New York / Lane Brown)
www.vulture.com/article/soci...
Same plan was there for print sphere of 18-20 century but now with a level of unimaginable sophistication (and sometimes stupidity)
(New York / Lane Brown)
www.vulture.com/article/soci...
May 17, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Fascinating look at the companies/techniques boosting content and shaping online narratives.
Same plan was there for print sphere of 18-20 century but now with a level of unimaginable sophistication (and sometimes stupidity)
(New York / Lane Brown)
www.vulture.com/article/soci...
Same plan was there for print sphere of 18-20 century but now with a level of unimaginable sophistication (and sometimes stupidity)
(New York / Lane Brown)
www.vulture.com/article/soci...
Still. So. Good 😂
A Mistaken Guy: The 20-Year Legacy of a Live TV Blunder www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/b...
A Mistaken Guy: The 20-Year Legacy of a Live TV Blunder www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/b...
A Mistaken Guy: The 20-Year Legacy of a Live TV Blunder
www.nytimes.com
May 6, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Still. So. Good 😂
A Mistaken Guy: The 20-Year Legacy of a Live TV Blunder www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/b...
A Mistaken Guy: The 20-Year Legacy of a Live TV Blunder www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/b...
#Christianity🤝#misinformation
Few topics inspire more confusion, debate, and disagreement than religious revivals (or lack thereof). This one looks like a pretty big survey screw up 😬
No, Britain Is Not Having a Christian Revival www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/w...
Few topics inspire more confusion, debate, and disagreement than religious revivals (or lack thereof). This one looks like a pretty big survey screw up 😬
No, Britain Is Not Having a Christian Revival www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/w...
No, Britain Is Not Having a Christian Revival
www.nytimes.com
April 9, 2026 at 11:10 AM
#Christianity🤝#misinformation
Few topics inspire more confusion, debate, and disagreement than religious revivals (or lack thereof). This one looks like a pretty big survey screw up 😬
No, Britain Is Not Having a Christian Revival www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/w...
Few topics inspire more confusion, debate, and disagreement than religious revivals (or lack thereof). This one looks like a pretty big survey screw up 😬
No, Britain Is Not Having a Christian Revival www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/w...
Swoon.
If the book is half as good as the original @newyorker.com article then #LondonFalling will be well worth a read
Can a Journalist Be a Celebrity Anymore? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/s...
If the book is half as good as the original @newyorker.com article then #LondonFalling will be well worth a read
Can a Journalist Be a Celebrity Anymore? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/s...
Can a Journalist Be a Celebrity Anymore?
www.nytimes.com
April 2, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Swoon.
If the book is half as good as the original @newyorker.com article then #LondonFalling will be well worth a read
Can a Journalist Be a Celebrity Anymore? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/s...
If the book is half as good as the original @newyorker.com article then #LondonFalling will be well worth a read
Can a Journalist Be a Celebrity Anymore? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/s...
Great to present at the @businesshistoryc.bsky.social at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
My paper on #PR, war-mongering, political corruption, and commercial conflicts feels pretty relevant – despite focusing on the #AmericanCivilWar 160 odd years ago.
#InformationWarfare #History
My paper on #PR, war-mongering, political corruption, and commercial conflicts feels pretty relevant – despite focusing on the #AmericanCivilWar 160 odd years ago.
#InformationWarfare #History
March 30, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Great to present at the @businesshistoryc.bsky.social at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
My paper on #PR, war-mongering, political corruption, and commercial conflicts feels pretty relevant – despite focusing on the #AmericanCivilWar 160 odd years ago.
#InformationWarfare #History
My paper on #PR, war-mongering, political corruption, and commercial conflicts feels pretty relevant – despite focusing on the #AmericanCivilWar 160 odd years ago.
#InformationWarfare #History
In an Asymmetrical War, Iran Seeks an Edge With Its Information War www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/b...
In an Asymmetrical War, Iran Seeks an Edge With Its Information War
www.nytimes.com
March 30, 2026 at 9:44 AM
In an Asymmetrical War, Iran Seeks an Edge With Its Information War www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/b...
" #SpaceX has yet to file its draft prospectus for an IPO with US regulators but could do so in the next few days as it aims to make its market debut by June, to coincide with Musk’s birthday and the alignment of Jupiter and Venus."
🥾👅 #IPO #Elon
www.ft.com/content/37a1...
🥾👅 #IPO #Elon
www.ft.com/content/37a1...
SpaceX boosts IPO ambition with plans to raise $75bn
Elon Musk’s rocket company told investors it hopes to go public with a $1.75tn valuation
www.ft.com
March 26, 2026 at 10:39 AM
" #SpaceX has yet to file its draft prospectus for an IPO with US regulators but could do so in the next few days as it aims to make its market debut by June, to coincide with Musk’s birthday and the alignment of Jupiter and Venus."
🥾👅 #IPO #Elon
www.ft.com/content/37a1...
🥾👅 #IPO #Elon
www.ft.com/content/37a1...
War + prediction markets/gambling platform = 😱
As if being a #journalist wasn’t hard enough…
www.timesofisrael.com/gamblers-try...
As if being a #journalist wasn’t hard enough…
www.timesofisrael.com/gamblers-try...
Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don’t rewrite an Iran missile story
Bettors are using death threats to try to get The Times of Israel's military correspondent to change his report on a missile impact in central Israel. This is his alarming account
www.timesofisrael.com
March 19, 2026 at 9:18 AM
War + prediction markets/gambling platform = 😱
As if being a #journalist wasn’t hard enough…
www.timesofisrael.com/gamblers-try...
As if being a #journalist wasn’t hard enough…
www.timesofisrael.com/gamblers-try...
"Trump has fallen in love with Florsheim, the American brand that’s been pairing comfort and style for more than a century. They’re also affordable: many cost $145."
Not the most relatable piece of journalism 😂 Incredible story though #Trump
www.wsj.com/style/fashio... via @WSJ
Not the most relatable piece of journalism 😂 Incredible story though #Trump
www.wsj.com/style/fashio... via @WSJ
Trump Is Obsessed With These $145 Shoes—and Won’t Let Anyone Leave Without a Pair
Forget MAGA hats. The president is guessing shoe sizes and handing out dress shoes to friends and advisers.
www.wsj.com
March 12, 2026 at 10:34 AM
"Trump has fallen in love with Florsheim, the American brand that’s been pairing comfort and style for more than a century. They’re also affordable: many cost $145."
Not the most relatable piece of journalism 😂 Incredible story though #Trump
www.wsj.com/style/fashio... via @WSJ
Not the most relatable piece of journalism 😂 Incredible story though #Trump
www.wsj.com/style/fashio... via @WSJ
Outrageous story and amazing reporting. This weapon is beyond terrifying.
“The biggest cover-up of my adult life”: Inside the CIA’s attempt to make Havana Syndrome disappear
@michaeldweiss.bsky.social talks to a CIA whistleblower who says the spy agency set out to prove Anomalous Health Incidents weren’t real or caused by a foreign adversary. Neither is true, he says.
@michaeldweiss.bsky.social talks to a CIA whistleblower who says the spy agency set out to prove Anomalous Health Incidents weren’t real or caused by a foreign adversary. Neither is true, he says.
“The biggest cover-up of my adult life”: Inside the CIA’s attempt to make Havana Syndrome disappear
In 2024, The Insider and its investigative partners at 60 Minutes and Der Spiegel uncovered evidence showing that “Anomalous Health Incidents,” also known as Havana Syndrome, were likely the result of...
theins.press
March 10, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Outrageous story and amazing reporting. This weapon is beyond terrifying.
Important insights re #press #censorship in Israel. Had not realised that variations of this practice go back to the nation's founding... #Israel
www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/m...
www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/m...
How international news outlets report under Israel’s military censor during wartime | CNN Business
Every reporter in Israel — and every member of the public — is subject to a military censor. On national security grounds, the regulation authorizes the censor to prohibit reporting or broadcasting an...
www.cnn.com
March 8, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Important insights re #press #censorship in Israel. Had not realised that variations of this practice go back to the nation's founding... #Israel
www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/m...
www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/m...
#Iran "is waging an information war parallel to the real-world fighting, blending fact and fiction, often using unproven claims and fake videos generated using artificial intelligence."
#AI #Disinformation #Trump
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/b...
#AI #Disinformation #Trump
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/b...
Iranian TV and Social Media Project Defiant and Distorted View of the War
www.nytimes.com
March 8, 2026 at 2:54 PM
#Iran "is waging an information war parallel to the real-world fighting, blending fact and fiction, often using unproven claims and fake videos generated using artificial intelligence."
#AI #Disinformation #Trump
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/b...
#AI #Disinformation #Trump
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/b...
Government comms (style/look/rhetoric) and war #propaganda has been transformed by #Trump administration. The fusing of real footage, video games, and AI-gen content does exactly what it's intended to do: get clicks/views, engage fans, and outrage critics #USA #Iran
www.ft.com/content/d846...
www.ft.com/content/d846...
‘Cavalier and demeaning’: the Trump team’s hyper-aggressive war rhetoric
White House boasts of the military’s lethality and prowess but critics pan the language as callous and cruel
www.ft.com
March 6, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Government comms (style/look/rhetoric) and war #propaganda has been transformed by #Trump administration. The fusing of real footage, video games, and AI-gen content does exactly what it's intended to do: get clicks/views, engage fans, and outrage critics #USA #Iran
www.ft.com/content/d846...
www.ft.com/content/d846...
The Cottingley Fairies. One of my favourite deceptions in #history … and one of the very few that didn’t make bad things happen, save a few people (including Arthur Conan Doyle, aka Mr Sherlock) looking silly.
Good show - worth a listen #deepfakes #AI #disinformation
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Good show - worth a listen #deepfakes #AI #disinformation
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com
March 3, 2026 at 9:35 AM
The Cottingley Fairies. One of my favourite deceptions in #history … and one of the very few that didn’t make bad things happen, save a few people (including Arthur Conan Doyle, aka Mr Sherlock) looking silly.
Good show - worth a listen #deepfakes #AI #disinformation
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Good show - worth a listen #deepfakes #AI #disinformation
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
A wonderful story - beautifully told/shown/presented - about an unusual newspaper quiz, the history of the @financialtimes.com, and the tragic death of a young man from my old school. Lovely work @data.ft.com #history #journalism
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The FT contest that challenged readers to redraw Europe’s borders
The extraordinary story of when, two months into the bloody Great War, the newspaper launched an unusual competition
giftarticle.ft.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:01 PM
A wonderful story - beautifully told/shown/presented - about an unusual newspaper quiz, the history of the @financialtimes.com, and the tragic death of a young man from my old school. Lovely work @data.ft.com #history #journalism
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Happy 4th of July everyone!! 🇺🇸. An apt time to celebrate the most effective and impactful piece of #disinformation in history: the Declaration of Independence #IndependenceDay
July 4, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Happy 4th of July everyone!! 🇺🇸. An apt time to celebrate the most effective and impactful piece of #disinformation in history: the Declaration of Independence #IndependenceDay
Some wonderful examples of expense account annihilating, ego-fueled hedonistic #journalism in here 👏
The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/b...
The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/b...
The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth
www.nytimes.com
July 1, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Some wonderful examples of expense account annihilating, ego-fueled hedonistic #journalism in here 👏
The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/b...
The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/b...
Reposted by Stuart Anderson-Davis
A new report I co-authored for the @towcenter.bsky.social is out today! We interviewed representatives from the news and technology industries about AI’s impact on the relationship between platforms and publishers. They expressed some hope and a lot of trepidation. www.cjr.org/the_media_to...
A New Report Takes On the Future of News and Search
The Tow Center for Digital Journalism interviewed news and tech industry representatives about AI’s impact on platforms and publishers. They expressed some hope and a lot of trepidation.
www.cjr.org
May 15, 2025 at 1:19 PM
A new report I co-authored for the @towcenter.bsky.social is out today! We interviewed representatives from the news and technology industries about AI’s impact on the relationship between platforms and publishers. They expressed some hope and a lot of trepidation. www.cjr.org/the_media_to...
Guaranteed the most nauseating details you will read today. Beyond bizarre and so creepy #Elon #Musk
www.wsj.com/politics/elo...
www.wsj.com/politics/elo...
The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers
The world’s richest man juggles more than a dozen children and ‘harem drama’ along with running his companies and advising Trump. He recently took a paternity test in a battle with one woman over mone...
www.wsj.com
April 16, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Guaranteed the most nauseating details you will read today. Beyond bizarre and so creepy #Elon #Musk
www.wsj.com/politics/elo...
www.wsj.com/politics/elo...
Best thing I've read on the #University crisis. Conclusion is both radical (given their business models, trustees etc) and complete common sense. As @mashagessen.bsky.social notes, #Columbia has tried another route (total submission) and it's failed utterly.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...
April 15, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Best thing I've read on the #University crisis. Conclusion is both radical (given their business models, trustees etc) and complete common sense. As @mashagessen.bsky.social notes, #Columbia has tried another route (total submission) and it's failed utterly.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...
First thought when I saw that scene - some #Duke #PR flak has just had their Sunday night ruined! #WhiteLotus
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/s...
Duke Says ‘White Lotus’ Went ‘Too Far’ With School References
In a show that features an array of disturbing story lines, the actions — and wardrobe — of a character have gone “too far” for the university.
www.nytimes.com
March 27, 2025 at 2:50 PM
First thought when I saw that scene - some #Duke #PR flak has just had their Sunday night ruined! #WhiteLotus
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/s...
Reposted by Stuart Anderson-Davis
New from Tow: AI tools are generating ultra-realistic customized podcasts that can be used for a variety of legitimate purposes. The Tow Center tests how they can also create misleading content and propaganda. @srd212.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/tow_center/p...
www.cjr.org/tow_center/p...
Plotting with Podcasts
AI tools are generating ultra-realistic customized podcasts that can be used for a variety of legitimate purposes. The Tow Center tests how they can also create misleading content and propaganda.
www.cjr.org
December 4, 2024 at 6:14 PM
New from Tow: AI tools are generating ultra-realistic customized podcasts that can be used for a variety of legitimate purposes. The Tow Center tests how they can also create misleading content and propaganda. @srd212.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/tow_center/p...
www.cjr.org/tow_center/p...