Summer series | Exposing a pro-Russian disinformation network

Disinformation campaigns are no longer built around a single false claim or suspicious account. Hundreds of profiles can push the same message simultaneously, creating the illusion of widespread public support. But how can journalists tell the difference between a genuine political movement and a coordinated influence operation? Romanian investigative newsroom Context.ro has built its own software to uncover such networks. During Moldova’s 2025 elections – a crucial vote that pitted closer ties with Europe against Russian influence – its journalists identified a massive pro-Moscow propaganda drive. Emma and Lise speak to investigative journalist Attila Biro, co-founder of Context.ro. He explains how the outlet looked beyond individual posts to map the wider infrastructure – from TikTok and Telegram to an anonymously distributed newspaper and crypto payments. Biro also discusses how journalists distinguish content that performs well organically from popularity that has been artificially manufactured – and why that matters more than ever: “We need to stop seeing this simply as disinformation and start treating it as a matter of defence. Our digital space is under attack, and we need to defend it.”

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Episoder(51)

Summer series | Hungary’s hotline to the Kremlin

Viktor Orbán has drawn Hungary increasingly close to Russia. But what has been happening behind closed doors between the Hungarian government and Moscow? Investigative network VSquare obtained recor...

3 Sep 22min

Summer series | Investigating the killing of journalists in Gaza

Hundreds of Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza – making it the deadliest conflict for reporters in decades. Were their deaths an inevitable consequence of Israel’s war, or has the media ...

20 Aug 25min

Summer series | From a fish to the fall of Lithuania’s PM

Last year, Lithuanian journalist Šarūnas Černiauskas began investigating his prime minister’s finances. What started as a seemingly small story soon grew into a series of scandals. The government turn...

13 Aug 27min

Summer series | Profits, not politics, behind AI hate boom

Persecution, corruption, and even murder. In this summer series, Emma du Chatinier and Lise Witteman unpack recent groundbreaking stories by fellow journalists from across Europe. How did their invest...

6 Aug 26min

Summer series | They killed the journalist, but not the story

30 Jul 23min

The man who sold Brussels the hydrogen dream

Europe set sky-high targets for green hydrogen. Today, it’s nowhere near meeting them. Journalist Jesse Pinster traced Brussels’ big hydrogen bet back to one professor: Ad van Wijk. How did his vision...

22 Jul 23min

Special: Is Spain really Europe’s progressive poster child?

For many observers across Europe, Spain has become a rare success story – offering hope that progressive politics can still succeed, govern, and project confidence on the world stage. But the reality ...

15 Jul 29min