The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

Anyone who has ever tried to study disinformation is well-familiar with the firehose of falsehoods—there’s just so much content on so many platforms and in so much media that it’s virtually impossible to track it all. But Martina Guzmán figured out a way to use AI to help sift through all of the audio content being generated on radio stations across the country. The result is Verdad.app, an incredible tool for researchers and a wake-up call about the sheer volume of malinformation in circulation on any given day. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss reporting on possible American participation in a campaign to destabilize the government of Mexico and additional reporting on a possible Israeli campaign to influence local French elections.
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Over the last 18 months, the Trump administration has characterized efforts to counter disinformation as attacks on free speech, going so far as refuse visas to European fact-checkers. But the founder and chair of the Cambridge Disinformation Summit, Alan Jagolinzer, sees disinformation not simply as speech, but rather a preparatory act preceding harm—a reframing of the challenge that opens the door to a wide-range of interventions. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also talk about U.S. and Russian support to Albertan separatists and Claude’s problem with foreign disinformation.
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Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party won the Hungarian parliamentary elections in April, but Russia’s coordinated influence campaign to discredit him and his party exposes current Russian influence campaigns in the West. Darren Linville of the Clemson University Media Forensics Hub walks us through the way Russia’s Storm-1516 ecosystem launders fabricated narratives—ranging from corruption and money laundering to military conscription and anti‑Ukraine claims—through fake news sites and outsourced amplification networks, including commercial marketing accounts tied to Africa. Hungary’s election didn’t break for Russia, but Storm‑1516’s low‑cost, high‑engagement tactics pose a persistent threat to democratic processes in the West. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also review possible Iranian hybrid-warfare in Europe and Japan’s efforts to confront Chinese disinformation.
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Iran’s digital influence campaigns didn’t start with the current war, and they won’t stop when it ends, says “Jane,” an analyst from the intelligence firm Graphika who asked us not to use her real name. In fact, last year’s 12-Day War and the current conflict show all the hallmarks of Iran’s international information campaigns, running the gamut from traditional propaganda to hacktivism and AI-generated content, sometimes with international amplification from America’s adversaries. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also highlight reporting on the diplomatic dust-up between Germany and Russia over Russian active measures and the real lessons of the 2026 Hungarian elections.
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Iran is winning the meme war. It may seem like a silly metric, but it cuts to the quick of the nature of conflict. Iranian use of AI generated Lego-movies has shown the power and potential for new technology to reshape the modern battlefield—especially where it matters, in the minds of audiences around the world. David Gilbert from WIRED joins us after having spoken directly with the creators of the pro-Iranian content that has gone viral with its mix of Lego-styled animations and catchy rap lyrics. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss a Russian campaign targeting Estonia and Russian media penetration in the global south.
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