This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson interview VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara on the Trump administration's efforts to silence the Voice of America and what the loss of that capability means for both U.S. national security and the global audience that has come to rely on VOA for independent journalism.  They also review reporting on China's growing efforts to gain influence in the Western hemisphere as well as proposals to better organize the U.S. government for information warfare.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson interview VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara on the Trump administration's efforts to silence the Voice of America and what the loss of that capability means for both U.S. national security and the global audience that has come to rely on VOA for independent journalism.&nbsp; They also review reporting on China's growing efforts to gain influence in the Western hemisphere as well as proposals to better organize the U.S. government for information warfare.

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns. 

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns.

A weekly dive into the headlines in the Active Measures Newsletter from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

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As protests swirl in Los Angeles and spread to other American cities, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the ways in which foreign adversaries always seek to exploit the divisions in American society.  They also review the lessons learned from the 2024 European elections; the urgency of information literacy to meet the challenges posed by foreign malign influence campaigns; and Russian efforts to target Poland and French-speaking Africa with information campaigns that rely on fear, intimidation, and Western fecklessness to succeed.

As protests swirl in Los Angeles and spread to other American cities, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the ways in which foreign adversaries always seek to exploit the divisions in American society.&nbsp; They also review the lessons learned from the 2024 European elections; the urgency of information literacy to meet the challenges posed by foreign malign influence campaigns; and Russian efforts to target Poland and French-speaking Africa with information campaigns that rely on fear, intimidation, and Western fecklessness to succeed.

Never Waste a Protest

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss reports that the United States is poorly prepared for China's enhanced ability to conduct cognitive warfare, even while India warns its citizens to avoid using the TikTok-refugee platform of choice in the United States: Chinese-owned RedNote.  They then turn their attention to reports of synthetic media impersonating Pope Leo XIV while Target deals with a campaign to amplify criticisms of its policy shift around DEI programs.  Finally, the hosts discuss reports that much of the UFO mythology of the last 80 years grows from U.S. disinformation campaigns to protect legitimate national security secrets.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss reports that the United States is poorly prepared for China's enhanced ability to conduct cognitive warfare, even while India warns its citizens to avoid using the TikTok-refugee platform of choice in the United States: Chinese-owned RedNote.&nbsp; They then turn their attention to reports of synthetic media impersonating Pope Leo XIV while Target deals with a campaign to amplify criticisms of its policy shift around DEI programs.&nbsp; Finally, the hosts discuss reports that much of the UFO mythology of the last 80 years grows from U.S. disinformation campaigns to protect legitimate national security secrets.

China, The Pope, and UFOs

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the role disinformation played in the recent surge of violence between India and Pakistan; review the way both U.S. AFRICOM and the People's Republic of China are adapting to changes in the American tool-box brought about by the Trump administration; look at what changes in content moderation at Meta mean for fighting disinformation as well as the role of AI in disinformation detection.  They wrap with a discussion of the threat to Russia posed by the American cartoon ogre known as Shrek.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the role disinformation played in the recent surge of violence between India and Pakistan; review the way both U.S. AFRICOM and the People's Republic of China are adapting to changes in the American tool-box brought about by the Trump administration; look at what changes in content moderation at Meta mean for fighting disinformation as well as the role of AI in disinformation detection.&nbsp; They wrap with a discussion of the threat to Russia posed by the American cartoon ogre known as Shrek.

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