<![CDATA[perspicacity]]>https://www.perspicacity.mediahttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X5VU!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F198ea8fd-2174-4c26-8d0a-e5e4225dde17_1280x1280.pngperspicacityhttps://www.perspicacity.mediaSubstackFri, 25 Sep 2026 15:15:02 GMT<![CDATA[The Amazon, Ukraine, and Russian state oppression]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/the-amazon-ukraine-and-russian-statehttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/the-amazon-ukraine-and-russian-stateTue, 28 Jul 2026 11:31:10 GMTAfter a two-year interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, returning to Sheffield for the city’s international documentary festival in 2022 felt like a celebration. DocFest was back, and with it an extraordinary programme of documentaries examining war, authoritarianism, and environmental destruction.

As I mentioned in the earlier posts in this serie…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Watergate, Aleppo & Facebook]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/watergate-aleppo-and-facebookhttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/watergate-aleppo-and-facebookTue, 14 Jul 2026 12:26:55 GMTContinuing my short series about the most impactful documentaries I've seen during a decade of attending Sheffield International Documentary Festival (DocFest), this week's article focuses exclusively on the exceptional films showcased in 2019.

As mentioned in the first post in the series, the nature of my own journalism work steers my choices towards do…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Rethinking Iran's 'Axis of Resistance']]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/rethinking-irans-axis-of-resistancehttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/rethinking-irans-axis-of-resistanceThu, 02 Jul 2026 16:04:42 GMTIran's 'Axis of Resistance' has evolved from a ‘hub-and-spoke’ system - where groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis were overwhelmingly reliant on Tehran - to a networked ecosystem with multiple hubs, and much greater resilience. The shift demands a rethink from Western policymakers who have continued to deploy strategies based on targe…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Frontline Journalism, Doping in Russian Sports, Nuclear Arms]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/10-years-of-extraordinary-documentaryhttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/10-years-of-extraordinary-documentaryTue, 30 Jun 2026 11:40:53 GMTThis year was the 10th anniversary of my first visit to Sheffield DocFest, the city’s world-renowned documentary film festival. With two festivals missed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the ninth DocFest I’ve attended.

Occasionally I have a moment of doubt as to whether I’ll make it to the following year’s festival. But once there I find myself wond…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Ukraine's Frontline, US Prison Abuses & an Infamous War Photo]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/frontline-ukraine-us-prison-abuseshttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/frontline-ukraine-us-prison-abusesThu, 11 Jun 2026 11:31:04 GMTI’m on the train to Sheffield for DocFest 2026, the latest edition of the city’s world-renowned documentary film festival. So what better time to revisit five of the standout films I saw at last year's festival.

DocFest 2025 was one of the strongest documentary programmes I’ve seen in a decade of annual pilgrimages to Sheffield.

For me, the festival was d…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Media & Disinformation Update: AI & Manipulation]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/disinformation-and-ai-jun-2026https://www.perspicacity.media/p/disinformation-and-ai-jun-2026Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:30:58 GMTAI has become both a tool for manipulation and a challenge for those trying to verify what is real. From image detection systems that incorrectly label authentic images as fake, to leading chatbots repeating state-backed propaganda, reliability of information is under pressure from both humans and machines.

This edition of the Media & Disinformation Upda…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Media & Disinformation Update: Weaponized Disinformation]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-update-junehttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-update-juneThu, 04 Jun 2026 11:22:58 GMTThis latest update focuses on investigations highlighting how information is weaponized to skew how people see the world.

At scale, such practices are often referred to as influence operations. 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 …

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Conflict & Human Rights Update - May 2026]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/conflict-and-human-rights-update-may-2026https://www.perspicacity.media/p/conflict-and-human-rights-update-may-2026Fri, 29 May 2026 11:30:57 GMTWelcome to the latest edition of perspicacity’s Conflict & Human Rights Update. This edition features investigations and analysis on:

  • The legality of the US war on Iran in the absence of authorisation from Congress

  • The displacement of thousands of vulnerable, unaccompanied children from Sudan as the 3-year conflict continues

  • War crimes on all sides as thou…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Crime & Corruption Update - May 2026]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/crime-and-corruption-update-may-2026https://www.perspicacity.media/p/crime-and-corruption-update-may-2026Thu, 21 May 2026 11:30:48 GMTWelcome to the latest edition of perspicacity’s Crime & Corruption Update. This edition features investigations and analysis on:

  • AI-enabled cybercrime - and the UN cybercrime treaty

  • Polymarket political betting and insider trading risks

  • Scam compounds in Southeast Asia - and the industrialisation of scam networks globally

  • Synthetic opioid exports from India…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Media & Disinformation Briefing: The Politics of Information]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-briefinghttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-briefingTue, 12 May 2026 11:31:32 GMTRecent weeks have seen a series of developments highlighting the intensely politicised nature of today’s information environment.

In Europe, elections in Hungary and Bulgaria were accompanied by disinformation campaigns involving AI-generated content and networks of fake social media profiles.

Meanwhile in the US, the Pentagon is facing legal challenges o…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Media & Disinformation Briefing: Online Harms]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-bulletinhttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-bulletinThu, 07 May 2026 11:31:31 GMTCourts, regulators and governments have in recent weeks increased pressure on technology platforms to take responsibility for some of the negative outcomes of their products, particularly around child safety, addictive design, disinformation and online abuse.

Landmark verdict in social media addiction trial

Mary Rodee holds a photo of her son Riley after the verdict in a landmark trial over whether social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, at Los Angeles Superior Court
Mary Rodee holds a photo of her son Riley after …

Read more

]]><![CDATA[ChatGPT: Platform, Publisher, or Something Else?]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/chatgpt-platform-publisher-or-somethinghttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/chatgpt-platform-publisher-or-somethingThu, 23 Apr 2026 11:31:28 GMTWe’ve all heard of AI hallucinations: when an AI platform confidently produces information that turns out to be wrong. But when a chatbot produces false, or defamatory, content, who is responsible?

In the blink of an eye, AI has fundamentally changed how we use the internet. Ask ChatGPT a question, and rather than a list of links or references, you often…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[The Fog of War]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/the-fog-of-warhttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/the-fog-of-warSun, 05 Apr 2026 11:03:12 GMTIf you find this newsletter of value, please click the ❤️ to help the algorithm recommend it to others 🙏🏻☀️

Propaganda and deception have always been features of warfare, used by those seeking to sell their version of events to gain support at home and an edge on the battlefield.

The US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on 28 February, is no exception. T…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Media & Disinformation Briefing: Distorted Incentives]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/distorted-incentiveshttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/distorted-incentivesSun, 22 Mar 2026 12:41:45 GMTHere are three pieces I came across this week that are worth a look.

They offer an insight into how AI models operate, and the incentives for social media platforms to promote misinformation.

perspicacity is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Balancing AI in Government with Citizens’ Human Rights]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/balancing-ai-in-government-with-citizenshttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/balancing-ai-in-government-with-citizensTue, 10 Feb 2026 12:31:24 GMTNote: this article, published in January by the Journal of Government Financial Management, was written for a US audience, but the human rights implications of AI are universal. (If you really don’t want the US detail, read the first two paragraphs then skip to the first subheading: ‘Human Rights Challenges in the AI Era’.)

It may not be immediately appa…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Conflict & Human Rights Update #13]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/conflict-and-human-rights-update-8a2https://www.perspicacity.media/p/conflict-and-human-rights-update-8a2Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:31:44 GMTIf you find this newsletter of value, click the ❤️ above to help the algorithm share it more widely 🙏🏻 ☀️

Welcome to the 13th edition of perspicacity’s Conflict and Human Rights Update. In this edition:

➡️ The Taliban is carrying out reprisal killings of formers soldiers who worked closely with US and UK forces

➡️ The US government threatens Nigeria base…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Crime & Corruption Update #11]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/crime-and-corruption-update-11https://www.perspicacity.media/p/crime-and-corruption-update-11Wed, 01 Oct 2025 11:31:13 GMTIf you find this newsletter of value, click the ❤️ above 🙏🏻☀️

Welcome to Edition #11 of perspicacity’s Crime & Corruption Update. This edition features:

➡️ How companies like Meta, Google, and the world’s largest banks are used by large-scale fraud operations in Israel, Europe and the country of Georgia.

➡️ The journalists silenced in Paraguay for inve…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Conflict & Human Rights Update #12]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/conflict-and-human-rights-update-13fhttps://www.perspicacity.media/p/conflict-and-human-rights-update-13fTue, 23 Sep 2025 11:31:44 GMTIf you find this newsletter of value, click the ❤️ above 🙏🏻 ☀️

Welcome to the 12th edition of perspicacity’s Conflict and Human Rights Update. This edition will give you an insight into:

➡️ Flagrant breaches of human rights at Florida’s migrant detention centres

➡️ The criminal brutality of federal anti-immigration forces in California

➡️ Aid-dependent na…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Media and Disinformation Update #12]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-update-12https://www.perspicacity.media/p/media-and-disinformation-update-12Thu, 18 Sep 2025 11:45:59 GMTIf you find this newsletter of value, click the ❤️ above 🙏🏻☀️

Welcome to Edition #12 of perspicacity’s Media and Disinformation Update. This edition features:

  • the criminal investigation into social media platform X by French prosecutors on allegations of its manipulation by owner Elon Musk for ‘foreign interference’

  • the AI-enabled impersonation of US Sec…

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Environment Update #6]]>https://www.perspicacity.media/p/environment-update-6https://www.perspicacity.media/p/environment-update-6Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:31:33 GMTWelcome to Edition #6 of perspicacity’s Environment update.

This newsletter features:

  • the whitewashing of climate change research by the US government

  • the circumvention of plastic recycling laws by major European countries

  • the failure of social media platforms to tackle climate disinformation.

  • the global consultancy companies facilitating corruption and repu…

Read more

]]>