Straight from the top: How state-sponsored trolling in Malta paved the way for a journalist’s murder
On the 16th of October 2017, Malta’s leading investigative journalist was murdered by a car bomb explosion in broad daylight, just a few metres outside her home. This is the story of how the Maltese Labour Party set up a woman to become public enemy number one. Once it was in government, the party used every means at its disposal to target, discredit and isolate her, until they had finally created the ideal environment for her enemies to feel confident enough to hurt her without fear of reprisals.
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Family Matters: How to talk to a loved one turned conspiracy theorist
It can be difficult to talk to people who hold beliefs that are fundamentally incompatible with our own worldview. The wrong approach can be alienating and counterproductive. Many people who believe in conspiracy theories feel attacked or ridiculed by others, become more defensive, and further retreat into their ideas as a result.
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Fake News, Real Money: In Hungary, fake news pays off
The Hungarian government has introduced a five-year jail penalty for spreading “false information” on the coronavirus response in 2020. But the government’s definition of “false information” isn’t what you’d expect. Instead, it includes nearly any sort of reportage or accountability on Hungary’s public health response. As a result, these could be the last days of independent media in Hungary.
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Down the Rabbit Hole: A realm of objects, spirituality, and dodgy beliefs
Sofia’s childhood memories are steeped in esoteric rituals, cosmic sessions, and magical woo-woo that she never fully understood. Her room was full of healing flasks and birthstones, and even as a grown-up, she hasn’t been able to shake off the superstition.
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The Radicalisation Gateway: How the town of Bodegraven became the unlikely centre of a satanic conspiracy theory
Theories about a satanic paedophile network operating in the small town of Bodegraven had popped up on the internet as early as the summer of 2020, without the knowledge of most residents. It was only when hundreds of flowers arrived at the Vredehof cemetery that weekend in February 2021, that the extent to which this story had spread on the internet, and to which it had gripped the imagination of these believers, became clear.
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Filter Bubbles: Why they are dangerous, and how to escape them
Filter bubbles can create new echo chambers, or reinforce existing ones. When it comes to deciding what clothes we wear or which lifestyles to follow, this is controversial enough. But when it comes to politics, echo chambers lead to polarisation and “othering,” standing in the way of democratic dialogue.
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