The hottest Media Manipulation Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Culture Topics

War Propaganda and Iran: The Exact Script Used for Every Failed US War Is Hauled Out Again

Glenn Greenwald • 4749 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Governments and media keep recycling the same discredited propaganda to sell new wars, claiming humanitarian motives while hiding strategic or political aims.
  2. Friendly exiles and lurid atrocity stories are staged and amplified to portray targets as uniquely evil and eager for liberation, even when those claims are unreliable or false.
  3. Critics of proposed wars are routinely smeared as enemy sympathizers, which suppresses dissent, ignores public opinion, and allows destructive conflicts to proceed with little accountability.

No Doubt Left: Russiagate Was a Cover-Up

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 14693 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Russiagate started as a distraction for Hillary Clinton to deflect attention from her email scandal. It became a big story that connected Donald Trump to Russia.
  2. Instead of investigating the supposed claims about Trump, intelligence agencies like the FBI and CIA ended up promoting the narrative, which was seen as a cover-up.
  3. The entire situation showed a failure in the political and media systems, where many people got involved in spreading unverified information without confirming its truth.

Israel expanded propaganda contract with Trump's former campaign manager

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 1139 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Brad Parscale’s firm Clock Tower X expanded a U.S. propaganda contract for the Israeli government to $9 million and is working through intermediaries like HAVAS.
  2. The operation runs at least nine branded websites and channels to push pro‑Israel messaging across culture, economics, technology, and 'fact‑checking,' and it even targets AI/GPT framing.
  3. Some brands carry aggressive information‑warfare tactics—targeting Christian audiences, trying to influence Wikipedia, and amplifying content on platforms like YouTube—while disclosing distribution by Clock Tower X for the State of Israel.

Debating Israel Supporters Is Pointless, Because They Don't Care About Facts Or Morality

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2989 implied HN points • 10 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Engaging with people who support Israel can be pointless because they often don't care about facts or moral discussions. It's usually better to focus your energy elsewhere.
  2. While debating Israel supporters may feel frustrating, you can use your thoughts to create content that helps others understand the situation better.
  3. It's important to talk to people who are open-minded and unsure about the conflict instead of arguing with those who have already formed strong beliefs against any logical reasoning.

"Beautiful USA", operated from Romania

Conspirador Norteño • 28 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Many US-themed Facebook pages are run from outside the United States, with administrators in various countries and only a minority based in the U.S.
  2. They mainly publish AI-generated patriotic images and plagiarized photos, often duplicating content across pages and stuffing posts with hashtags to boost engagement.
  3. Several pages intermittently share right-leaning political content, which suggests the network may be trying to promote conservative views rather than just distribute image spam.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

"In The War Of Propaganda, It Is Very Difficult To Defeat The United States"

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2347 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Challenging the United States on the front of propaganda is extremely difficult due to its powerful and complex propaganda machine.
  2. The US empire's propaganda works subtly, often going unnoticed, such as in the biased language used in media coverage of conflicts like in Gaza.
  3. US propaganda influencing headlines and news content can shape public perception and acceptance of certain narratives and actions, contributing to a distorted perspective of world events.

Nobody Who Gets Gaza Wrong Is Worth Listening To

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2048 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Understanding the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fundamental, and ignoring the clear atrocities in Gaza is unacceptable.
  2. Gaza serves as a pivotal point for awakening anti-imperialist sentiments, leading to greater questioning of Western foreign policies and propaganda.
  3. Challenging mainstream narratives and seeking diverse information sources are crucial to avoid falling into manipulated consent for unethical actions by those in power.

They're Really Going To Try To Lay All The Blame For Gaza On Netanyahu

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1816 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Blaming all of Gaza's issues on Netanyahu might be a way to avoid necessary changes.
  2. Critics argue that blaming Netanyahu alone overlooks the larger network of powerful entities involved in the Gaza situation.
  3. Increased online education is helping people see through biased narratives and support causes like Palestine.

Disinformation Handbook: A Concise Guide to Countering Disinformation (3)

Natto Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
đź•ą Technology Media Manipulation
  1. Understanding concepts and tactics associated with disinformation is crucial in countering its harmful effects.
  2. Detecting disinformation and avoiding manipulation involves learning from organizations and individuals who are actively working against it.
  3. Accessing resources such as handbooks, guides, and reports can provide valuable insights and strategies for countering and combating disinformation.

How German taxpayer-funded fact-checkers conducted covert surveillance of a private meeting for the purpose of smearing Alternative fĂĽr Deutschland and justifying calls to ban the party

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 88 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Media Manipulation
  1. German taxpayer-funded fact-checkers conducted covert surveillance of a private meeting to smear Alternative fĂĽr Deutschland
  2. Alternative fĂĽr Deutschland is polling high in Germany, causing concern for other political parties
  3. There are suspicions of an orchestrated attack on Germany's second most popular party, the AfD

The Unforgivable Ivermectin Swindle

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 87 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
🏥 Health Politics Media Manipulation
  1. Ivermectin was unfairly portrayed during the pandemic, despite evidence of its efficacy in treating COVID-19.
  2. Media and government agencies spread misinformation about Ivermectin, labeling it as horse medicine to deter its use.
  3. The dishonesty around Ivermectin usage reveals potential conflicts of interest and undermines trust in media and pharmaceutical companies.

The Psywar Glossary

Who is Robert Malone • 11 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Manipulation
  1. PsyWar refers to the use of psychological operations by governments to influence people's beliefs and behaviors, even against their own citizens. It's important to recognize these tactics to understand how information can be manipulated.
  2. Understanding and identifying terms related to psychological operations, like propaganda and algorithms, can help individuals navigate the information they encounter daily. This recognition is key to making informed decisions.
  3. Fifth-generation warfare involves non-kinetic tactics, including social media manipulation and misinformation. It's a new kind of conflict that emphasizes controlling narratives rather than traditional military strategies.

The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect

The Corbett Report • 19 implied HN points • 10 Dec 23
đź“° News Media Manipulation
  1. Journalists often get basic facts wrong because they aren't experts in the subjects they cover.
  2. The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect explains how we forget media errors right after reading them.
  3. To counteract media manipulation, we should remember that what we consume may be inaccurate and biased.

The Crazy Playbook

Perspective Agents • 15 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Media Manipulation
  1. Historical events have shown how media manipulation can cause panic and fear in the public.
  2. Cultural divides are being exploited through manufactured narratives and pseudo-events in media.
  3. Understanding the manipulation tactics in media and how information conflicts are amplified is crucial to avoid falling into misinformation traps.