At Media Revolution’s public ‘Disinformation and Democracy’ event at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in London, two legends of investigative journalism shared their insights into the omnicrisis and their views on the way forward.

Carole Cadwalladr is best known for exposing the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal of illegal data harvesting and election interference, and for her continuing investigations into the powerful machinations of US tech bros and their UK co-conspirators.

Eliot Higgins is the founder of Bellingcat, which uses open-source investigation to produce actionable intelligence on issues of public concern all over the world, revealing massive cover-ups and corruption by governments and state powers.

The hour-long debate on Thursday, February 26,, chaired by Media Revolution co-founder Liz Pendleton in front of a full house, could only scratch the surface of a complex mesh of issues. But it did demonstrate that Media Revolution’s work is motivated by the same principles as those of our two speakers: the need to combat multiple threats to democracy and humanity. Many of Media Revolution’s ongoing activities align with Bellingcat’s roadmap for ‘bending the arc of history back towards truth, participation and justice’.

The Omnicrisis

This is an era of what Carole Cadwalladr described as ‘total information collapse’ in which the mainstream news media are failing to present a narrative that makes sense to people. She talked about ‘performative accountability’ in which, even when wrongdoing is reported and inquiries are held, nothing actually changes. The lack of any real action against Facebook in the wake of Carole’s internationally-reported investigations is a case in point.

She and Eliot Higgins both recognise that the public distrust of institutions is often justified by people’s personal experience –and that by association, many see the ‘legacy’ media as part of the problem. Naturally, people have turned to online content creators who, Carole said, “are humanising what’s happening and filtering it through their own personalities” – appearing relatable, credible and trustworthy.

But we know social media is a minefield for information – as summed up by Bellingcat:

–          Algorithmic platforms prioritise engagement over truth

–          Discourse is no longer shaped by deliberation but by optimisation

–          Opaque algorithmic systems act as the new gatekeepers – without standards, transparency or accountability.

Bellingcat summarises the challenge ahead as: “This is not just about fighting disinformation, it’s about reconstructing the systems, values and capacities through which people can reason, act and hold power to account – the conditions for a living democracy”.

Its ‘Arc framework’ for achieving this is grounded in the principles of verification (collective commitment to truth and evidence), deliberation (collective reasoning to solve problems and guide action), and accountability.

The framework comprises eight separate but inter-related ‘tracks for democratic renewal’, including education, civic empowerment, the rebuilding of shared values, and actions to restore evidence-based accountability to systems of governance.

Spot the similarities with Media Revolution’s intersectional Venn diagram, in which the eight areas of activity each have a different focus, but represent a collaborative approach to multiple, inter-related issues.

Empowerment through investigation

Within Bellingcat’s framework, the process of investigation is an exercise that flexes and strengthens the democratic muscle. Alongside its own deep delves into institutional wrongdoing, Bellingcat is actively equipping organisations with the tools and knowledge to do this for themselves – often at grassroots level. This has included student-led investigations resulting in reforms to council transparency, and community organisations using their findings as evidence in campaigns to bring about change.

Media Revolution recognises that access to reliable and accurate info is a human right intrinsic to democracy, and our work feeds into the same process. Media literacy activities including News Clubs empower people to become active, informed and critical consumers of news media rather than passive, overwhelmed recipients. They equip people to challenge disinformation and find sources of factual evidence to back up calls for action. 

The creation of the media consumers’ union Touchpaper will do this on a larger scale, enabling the public to take collective action – including boycotts – against publishers and channels.

On the issue of restoring values and trustworthiness to media organisations, Media Revolution is collaborating with Hacked Off, the media reform campaign, and the independent regulator Impress, to campaign for effective press regulation in the UK and real powers to hold owners and publishers to account. The lack of follow-up to the Leveson Inquiry into phone-hacking and other media malpractice was yet another missed (or evaded) opportunity for investigation to bring about change.

Where do we go from here?

Although there wasn’t time during the RSA event to explore the details of Bellingcat’s Arc framework, the debate did shine a light on the way ahead.

The discussions confirmed that Media Revolution’s response to the information crisis tallies with Carole Cadwalladr’s experiences of deep-dive investigation – and our actions already align with Bellingcat’s plan of action. Media Revolution will continue to work with the  Bellingcat framework, and with any luck we’ll stage a follow-up event, either at the RSA or somewhere else to continue the conversation with the public.

The  debate also highlighted the fact that, in today’s malfunctioning media and information system, the quest for verification, deliberation and accountability is a form of activism. Refusing to accept the defeatist line about a ‘post-truth era’, developing skills to root out evidence, and sharing those tools and resources widely so that hidden facts can become public knowledge – this is an expression of rebellion as well as an exercise in democracy.

And finally ….

As the discussion drew to a close, a pivot point was unwittingly provided by an aggressive, attention seeking heckler who interrupted Carole as she talked about her own values as a journalist. Rather than submitting a live question for debate, he shouted: “Activism isn’t objectivity, Carole,” and accused her of ‘inappropriate bias’.

It’s significant that the heckler didn’t claim Carole’s investigations were flawed, or that their findings were inaccurate. And if he was suggesting that journalists shouldn’t be politically motivated, that would disqualify most national newspaper editors – not to mention their star columnists – from doing their jobs. Let’s not even start on GB News.

In fact, the interruption was more redolent of online trolling – an ad hominem attack, which, if launched into a febrile social media debate, would fire up the algorithms and escalate into the usual frenzied hate-fest.

At the RSA, though, it wasn’t going to land.

Instead, Carole calmly explained: “Trust comes from transparency and accountability … my bias is towards the truth, and it is towards democracy, and it is towards democratic accountability, and all of my journalism is based on those fundamental principles.”

It brought us neatly back to the mainstay of Bellingcat’s Arc framework: a commitment to verifiable evidence from clearly indicated sources, with the aim of increasing understanding, not performing, simulating or optimising an online audience.

It was also a reminder that active resistance to corruption and disinformation must live up to the standards it’s campaigning for. Activism must remain transparent and accountable.

——

Philippa Davies is an independent journalist, and part of the Core Working Group at Media Revolution.

You can also read a ‘behind the scenes’ account of the event by event chair, Liz Pendleton, here.

Deliberately and knowingly causing harm to children – as a business model.

It’s not a good look for the social media giants Meta and Google, who are currently on trial in the US over claims that they intentionally created ‘addiction machines’ to maximise their profits – ignoring warnings about the risks to young people’s wellbeing.

The case is the first of dozens that have been filed against Meta in the US, holding the company responsible for a crisis in youth mental health.

The pressure is stacking up, and it’s about time. In Europe, France, Denmark, Greece, Austria, and Portugal are moving towards a ban on social media access for children and young teenagers, following Australia’s landmark ban in December. Other countries, including the UK, are consulting on similar age restrictions.

Spain’s proposals also include holding platform executives legally liable for failing to remove illegal content, and making it a criminal offence to manipulate algorithms and amplify harmful posts. 

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “ We must speak clearly about the management of platforms such as X and the vision of figures like Elon Musk.

“Freedom of expression is not the right of a magnate to buy public debate and manipulate it through algorithms that amplify confusion.

“Spain will move forward with legislation under which technology executives will assume direct criminal liability for serious violations on their platforms. The era of hiding behind servers is over.” 

Meanwhile, large numbers of X users have closed their accounts, after Elon Musk’s bizarre decision to incorporate non-consensual porn into his platform’s offerings.  A new YouGov survey across Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland has found that 47% of Europeans would back banning X from the EU if it continues to breach EU rules.

It’s all about the intention

Social media companies have always ducked responsibility for user-generated content (UGC).

But recent events have shifted the focus to what the owners of the platforms control themselves, and the decisions that they – willingly and knowingly – inflict upon their users.

The issues that have drawn public attention in recent weeks are a very small part of the picture, but could this be  the crack that lets the light in?

When you recognise that the incredible harm being done is not incidental but intentional, you can widen the focus, seeing the many other social media damages that can be traced straight back to the owners who control the platforms.

For instance, amplifying posts pushing extremist political views, inciting violent hatred and shutting down rational discussion.

Flooding the zone with AI-generated images and clickbait disinformation, as a deliberate distraction from what people can see around them in their real lives.

Deliberately suppressing or misrepresenting the facts about the climate emergency, depriving people of the information they need to demand action.

Using “cyborg” accounts, where a human controls the account but automation handles posting, liking, following, or replies. These are often used to exaggerate a  political groundswell or to boost specific individuals. For example, they were used to amplify right-wing extremist Nick Fuentes on X to the point that mainstream media treated him as a serious figure.

There’s an agenda here, and it goes way beyond the damage to young people’s minds.

Age restrictions are not the answer

Media Revolution welcomes the high-profile debate about mental damage caused by social media platforms – and the dubious motives of their owners. It’s long overdue.

But one thing is generally missing from the conversation: the fact that there are alternatives to X, Meta, Instagram, TikTok and the other big tech companies.

Instead of simply putting an age limit on social media access – which helps a small group of users, but does nothing to protect others outside that age group – we can also take part in tech walkouts and guide people towards alternative platforms such as Mo-Me, which is not owned by any individual organisation, and isn’t built to prioritise addictive algorithms.

News feeds on Mo-Me are provided by independent, regulated media organisations, and users choose which accounts and channels to follow. There are no adverts, and no profit-driven ‘pushing’ of content; it’s a safe space for people of any age who want to connect with others, receiving and sharing news and information.

And if we’re talking about news….

While social media is under scrutiny, this is an opportunity for governments to look at some of the most prominent and prolific sources of online disinformation: their own national newspapers and TV channels.

At the moment, some of these newspapers and their social media channels are not only complicit in spreading hate speech and disinformation – they’re responsible.  If we’re going to talk about harms, and examine the motives of big-tech platform owners, we also need to focus on the powerful media magnates who push the same agenda.

Let’s build on this momentum

The US lawsuits piling up against the social media platforms, the moves towards age-restricted access and the backlash against Elon Musk’s Grokepdia and X have highlighted some of the issues that are central to Media Revolution’s work.

This is a chance for the Media Revolution to continue growing, in momentum, in volunteers, allies and supporters. To show the bigger picture and build public awareness of what’s possible – what a Media Revolution – a collaboration of responses to the situation can truly achieve. 

WHAT NEXT?

Be part of a Media Revolution. Join for an upcoming event:

Tuesday 24th Feb – Next News Clubs Zoom session

Thursday 26th Feb – RSA – Disinformation & Democracy

Join our Signal group – or sign up to the newsletter

Media Revolution welcomes the ‘Letter to Sir Keir Starmer and Media Heads’ released at yesterday’s National Emergency Briefing in Westminster. The briefing was attended by over 1,200 people including around 150 Parliamentarians, senior civil servants, business leaders, faith voices, cultural and sport figures, community leaders and over 80 MPs where a call for an emergency national broadcast was made. 

The event on November 27 was billed as a climate conversation reset – and Media Revolution says the conversation must now go further.

The latest scientific evidence shows that — like many other countries around the world — the UK must urgently prepare for a cascade of serious societal impacts. The accelerating climate and nature crises are set to make the UK increasingly unstable, with extreme weather, food shortages, economic shocks, infrastructure strain, and rising geopolitical risk. The briefing also made a new critical intervention. For the first time, leading scientists and public figures named the media as a central driver of the crisis — and an essential part of the response.

“Our wider media is either far from independent, outwardly biased, or simply failing in its duty to explain to everyone the gravity of our predicament,” said Chris Packham, who opened the briefing and urged public support for a letter to Tim Davie (Director General of the BBC), Carolyn McCall (Chief Executive of ITV), Jonathan Allan (Channel 4), Sarah Rose (Channel 5), Geraint Evans (S4C), and Dame Melanie Dawes, (Chief Executive of broadcast regulator, Ofcom). 

The letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the major broadcasters, and Ofcom warns:

“We are deeply alarmed by the scale of fossil fuel–funded disinformation that has flooded Westminster and the media. 

The lack of public access to accurate, science-based information has created a vacuum which has been filled by polarised headlines that deny and delay action.

“Under the Communications Act 2003, all public service broadcasters must inform the public on major national and international issues. The UK has so far failed to meet these obligations.

“We therefore ask the Government and all public service broadcasters to hold an urgent televised national emergency briefing for the public, and to run a comprehensive public engagement campaign so that everyone understands the profound risks this crisis poses to themselves and their families.”

YES — broadcasters must act. Regulators must do better. AND — the media system as a whole must be transformed.

The briefing centred on media responsibility firmly. But broadcasters are only one part of the system. The most influential media actors also include newspaper groups, disinformation-led channels such as GB News, and digital platforms whose algorithms frequently amplify polarisation, disinformation and delay.

To protect the public — and to protect those in the majority world already suffering the worst impacts of crises driven by wealthy nations — the UK must use its privilege, resources, and democratic infrastructure to transform the media landscape with accuracy, not complacency. That requires all media institutions to meet the same high standards of responsibility.

“If we want everyone to understand the risks we face, every media outlet must be required to provide accurate information. Many that were not present today regularly promote cynical disinformation about the climate and nature crises, contributing to years of delay and harm,” said Tom Hardy, Media Revolution core working group member, in attendance at the briefing.

Liz Pendleton, co-founder of Media Revolution, who also attended the briefing, said: “Listening to three hours of climate science, setting out the bleakest of futures for the UK and the world, was harrowing. The media are failing in their responsibility to report on this — and every day that passes where they don’t sort it out makes the emergency worse. People have a right to this information so we can make informed choices, but the media are gatekeeping. As media consumers, we must unite to defend our rights — and we must take action.”

Caspar Hughes, co-founder of Media Revolution, “Until we tackle the hugely powerful billionaire corporate media owners, the climate and nature crises will worsen, and our descent into fascism will accelerate. The short legacy we will leave our children is a rapidly destabilising and increasingly uninhabitable planet riddled with violent conflict. The first step to changing the future and giving our children a chance at a more peaceful future is to change the media.”

Yesterday’s briefing represents a watershed moment — the point at which leading experts finally said openly that the UK cannot protect its people, or play its global role, while its media system continues to obstruct public understanding. Misrepresentation and manufactured division are not limited to climate: the same media ecosystem has fuelled support for escalating wars, polarisation of communities, mindless consumption, and contributed to widespread anxiety and depression.

Other speakers at the briefing included: Professor Nathalie Seddon (nature crisis), Professor Hayley Fowler (extreme weather), Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE (health impacts), Lt General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE (national security), and Angela Francis (economic transformation).

It’s clear that the Government and broadcasters must now work together with absolute urgency. And this must be only the beginning of a wider effort to ensure the whole UK and global media system meets basic standards of accuracy and public protection for people and planet.

You can support the call for an emergency broadcast by signing the public letter here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbdkcuPaw_Rz-CW8rqrXuBmLHMW5hNZ2juqpgjYsF_cxIXbg/viewform?pli=1

And you can join Touch Paper – media consumer union here: touchpaper.media

ENDS

Media contacts:
Liz Pendleton — Media Revolution — 07779341156
Caspar Hughes — Media Revolution — 07747041596

POST LINKS

Do us a favour and go like, comment, share and subscribe? Being on socials is

YouTube

BlueSky

Instagram

Twitter/X

facebook

Media Liberation Day is finally here, and the Media Revolution has begun.

It’s time to celebrate support, achievements, actions and our continued commitment to collaborate, coordinate and remove the control of the billionaire owners corrupting our media system and build one that works in favour of people and planet!

Change the Media – Change the Future.

5 achievements for 5th November – and 5 ways for you to take part.

1. UNITE!
   One of the most significant milestones of Media Liberation Day is the formation of a brand new Media Consumers Union.
   
   Research shows that consumer unions have driven higher standards for many of today’s consumables – including food, medicines and transport – but they are a forgotten and neglected tool, and up until now the rights of the media consumer have been overlooked.  Touch Paper  is set to become a powerful and influential organisation standing up for our right to accurate information and protection from disinformation and division. The union will be a collective force of members who challenge media outlets to do better. It will campaign for effective media regulation, and do so by deploying the power of resistance: public boycotts and digital divestment from the attention economy.
   
   Take part: Join the union here
   
2.  NEW PLATFORM
   Media Revolution has worked with one of our supporters – Newsmast – a charity working in social media – to set up Mo-Me – a new news and social networking platform offering ‘consensual content’.
   
   Mo-Me – short for Movement Media – provides a free news feed from independent, well regulated media and grassroots campaigns, with no ads or algorithms. It’s built on the open web, so the software is shared – meaning it’s interconnected to millions of other users around the globe who are already working on better media – and there are no billionaire owners.
   
   Take part: Join Mo-Me here
   
3. GET TOGETHER
   As well as challenging it at source, we’re improving media literacy for people and reducing social isolation through the creation of a network of News Clubs.
   
   People are getting together to analyse newspaper reports, TV news and social media posts, identifying manipulative content to ask ‘who’s behind this? And what do we do about it?
   
   Take part: Find out about News Clubs here
   
4. SUPPORT THE SUPPORTERS
   We’ve brought together a coalition of diverse supporters from around the world:  independent media, campaign organisations and the tech sphere, who – up until now – have been fighting their own battles against the dominance of billionaire owners and influential lobby groups. We’re the start of a co-ordinated, collaborative response to the complex media problem: using the core responses of ‘replace, regulate, radicalise and resist’. 2026 will be a year to grow the supporter network further, and to work on the interconnectedness of our efforts.
   Take part: View the supporters and join as a supporter here
   
5. TAKE ACTION
   The mobilisation of resistance and grassroots defiance is growing too; the Cover Story campaign has inspired people to hit back at toxic headlines, while the Media Revolution penguin activists have directly targeted UK newspaper and social media HQs to demand better.
   Take part – in cover story here

All these activities are part of an active pushback against what the malignant media is doing to our minds –  menticide. 

Very simply, it means that instead of our brains receiving and processing helpful content, the billionaires are brainwashing us. The confusion, unease and alienation we feel are deliberately induced. But they’re also a kind of immune response; a sign that something is wrong, triggering a defence mechanism we need to act upon.  

So let’s keep working together – to challenge, remove or replace the billionaire owners who are corrupting our media systems and build alternatives together. 

We’re so glad you’re with us on Media Liberation day and we’re hoping you’ll join us in saying #ByeByeMenticide

Penguins aren’t the most obvious symbol of resistance against media corruption – but they’ve become a powerful motif.

The story of how this came about exemplifies the spirit and humour of protesters standing up against an authoritarian state.

In May 2013 a wave of demonstrations, strikes and civil unrest flared up in Turkey, which all began when police used tear gas and water cannon to break up a peaceful sit-in opposing the redevelopment of Istanbul’s Gezi Park. 

Over the next few days, anger at the disproportionate police violence  snowballed into large-scale protests against the government’s attacks on civil liberties. As well as a growing activist rebellion in Istanbul, there were marches and occupations in the capital, Ankara, and many other Turkish cities. News of the uprising was reported around the world.

But on June 2, as the international broadcaster CNN screened live footage of police clashing with demonstrators in Istanbul,  its Turkish partner, CNN Turk, decided to broadcast a wildlife documentary about penguins instead.

This was a bit of an own goal for the national TV station, as ‘Penguen’ was the name of a popular satirical magazine in Turkey, often penalised for poking fun at prime minister Erdogan.

The protest movement immediately picked up the penguin motif as an ironic visual emblem representing (and ridiculing) both media self-censorship and government influence over news coverage. Graffiti images of penguins in gas masks began appearing, penguin cartoons and memes went viral on social media,  and demonstrators started wearing penguin masks or T-shirts with the slogan ‘We are all penguins’. 

The news blackout also backfired, as everyone knew about the protests, and it was obvious that the TV, radio and most newspapers were deliberately ignoring them.  By failing to cover the anti-government uprising (which was everywhere on social media), Turkey’s mainstream press and broadcasters lost credibility and public trust – and spurred on more people to join the rebellion.

Ever since the Gezi Park incident and its aftermath, the penguin has been a satirical symbol of government control over media coverage in Turkey. When TV and newspapers turn a blind eye to potentially damaging stories about the government, covering trivial or irrelevant news instead, this is known as ‘penguinisation’.

And this is why Media Revolution activists have dressed up in penguin costumes for video stunts to mark Media Liberation Day and the beginning of a new Media Consumer Union – Touch Paper – and social network ‘Mo-Me’. Well, it’s also partly because penguins are distinctive, quirky, comical and also very cool. But mainly because the Turkish media cover-up over Gezi Park has so many equivalents in today’s global press, broadcast and online channels; the public are being routinely kept in the dark about vital information, lied to for political purposes, and distracted by PR froth,celebrity trivia and fake AI-generated propaganda masquerading as ‘news’.

Media Revolution takes inspiration and impetus from the way the Turkish protesters seized upon that first incident of ‘penguinisation’, flipped the script and used it to ridicule the government-compliant media. They turned the penguin into a symbol of resistance and  resilience, representing the power of real news and communication when it’s freed from political spin and corporate influence.

Today, we are all penguins.

Need some help? Not on social media but want to send us a video to use?
Join the Signal group