Public and Policy Engagement
Press contributions and policy briefings
September 30, 2022
This article discusses the significance of the Kremlin's formal annexation of four Ukrainian regions, whilst fighting on the ground continues to rage.
DCMS Call for Evidence: Misinformation and trusted voices
September, 2022
Evidence submitted to DCMS call for evidence on misinformation and trusted voices in the UK.
Centre for Democratic Integrity: RT and Conspiracy Theories: “The Kremlin’s Underdog” against the West
6 September, 2022
Case study on RT and Conspiracy Theories, co-authored with Ilya Yablokov for a special report, RT in Europe and Beyond: the wannabe elite of the anti-elites.
September 30, 2022
This article discusses the significance of the Kremlin's formal annexation of four Ukrainian regions, whilst fighting on the ground continues to rage.
Express: COMMENT - Putin is clearly worried - Russia's media is becoming as censored as China's
March 4, 2022
This comment article for The Express discusses how the Kremlin's fears about public unrest about the war in Ukraine have led to a massive media crackdown.
The Conversation: Ukraine war: RT coverage is biased and misleading but banning the network may not be a good idea
1 March 2022
The EU has blocked RT in Europe and YouTube has blocked it from the platform. What implications will this have going forward?
The Conversation: Russia’s state broadcaster RT going all-out to boost legitimacy of rigged Duma election
September 17, 2021
This article, co-authored with Dr Ilya Yablokov, examines cover Russia's international broadcaster, RT, is covering Russia's Duma elections.
June 20, 2021
Commentary on the significance of the Putin-Biden summit in this round-up of expert takes.
January 29, 2021
This chapter for a CEPA report on the evolution of Russian hybrid warfare charts the evolution of Russia's influence efforts across various sectors in the UK in recent years, as well as the UK's official responses and the lessons learned. The full report can be downloaded here and a video of the launch discussion can be viewed here.
June 11, 2019
EU officials have raised concerns about Russian attempts to influence the democratic process, through its international broadcaster, RT (Russia Today). But is RT an attack on democracy? And what should be done about it?
March 27, 2019
The continued uncertainty around Brexit has reignited claims that RT's promotion of Nigel Farage on YouTube helped lead to this situation. This analysis of YouTube data shows how multiple Euroskeptic media actors and mainstream British broadcasters all contribute to increasing Farage's Youtube profile.
December 21, 2018
What is the significance of recent rulings of the British broadcast regulator, Ofcom, against RT (Russia Today)? This article discusses the political implications this could have in a context of volatile diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia.
October, 2018
Scholarly contribution to MoD's Global Strategic Trends (6th ed.) trends forecasting out to 2050.
September, 15, 2018
This article, co-authored with Dr Rhys Crilley for the Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog, discusses how audiences of RT (Russia Today) have reacted to its coverage of the poisoning of former double-agent Sergei Skripal, in the UK. As the article shows, RT's airing of an interview with the two suspects marked a watershed in public opinion.
Global Development Institute Podcast: The BRICS Uncovered
June 15, 2018
In this recent audio-documentary series, the BBC’s Stephen Sackur investigated in detail the global trends influencing the ongoing development of each of the BRICs, and their potential future directions. In this final, feature-length, episode of the series, I provide expert commentary on Russian economic and political trends following the imposition of sanctions.
Newsweek: Here Is How Russia Manipulates the Media to Create Unrest in the West
April 6, 2018
This is a republication by Newsweek of "Four things you need to know about Russian media manipulation strategies", which was co-authored with Prof. Vera Tolz for The Conversation.
April 5, 2018
Co-authored with Prof. Vera Tolz for The Conversation, this article summarises the various Russian media tactics aimed at domestic and international audiences,
Reframing Russia: Media-managed democracy: How Russian state-funded broadcasters are representing the 2018 Presidential election campaign
March 1, 2018
This short piece, co-authored with Prof. Stephen Hutchings and Prof. Vera Tolz, examines the ways in which Russian state-funded broadcasters represented the 2018 Russian Presidential elections for both domestic and international audiences. It looks at how different outlets balanced their market imperatives and audience expectations with the interests and expectations of the firmly-entrenched political leadership.
November 27, 2017
In this article for the Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog, Prof Vera Tolz and I argue that Putin's unveiling of a monument to victims of Soviet repression is as much about present political concerns as about history.
September 1, 2017
In this article for The Conversation, I argue that concern about 'fake news' often masks the far more subtle ways in which emotionally-loaded 'post-truth' media as a whole influence both the topics and tone of news media coverage.