Clea Skopeliti
cleaskopeliti.bsky.social
Clea Skopeliti
@cleaskopeliti.bsky.social
Freelance reporter with bylines in the Guardian, the Observer, Euronews, the i, Prospect magazine, the Independent, Vice, i-D, & more. Previously: community journalist at the Guardian. In Madrid these days.
Indonesian land defender Fatrisia Ain told me about online intimidation on Facebook, including 'red-tagging' – "a very sensitive issue in Indonesia".

It's part of a report on Global Witness's new research on the widespread digital threats facing defenders: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Death threats and falsehoods among online abuse reported by land and climate defenders
Survey across six continents uncovers accounts of abuse causing defenders to fear for their safety
www.theguardian.com
July 16, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
My NYT op-ed this morning
I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/o...
Opinion | I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It.
www.nytimes.com
July 15, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
The tiny Mediterranean island is one of Europe's most progressive on LGBTQ+ rights, but at the same time, it has a near-total ban on abortion. What is the reason for this dissonance?

#EuropeNews
Pro-LGBTQ+ yet anti-abortion: What's behind Malta's differing stances?
The tiny Mediterranean island is one of Europe's most progressive on LGBTQ+ rights, but at the same time, it has a near-total ban on abortion. What is the reason for this dissonance?
l.euronews.com
June 28, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
The Israeli army has been killing dozens of Palestinians at aid hubs in Gaza practically on a daily basis. Soldiers have told Haaretz they have been ordered to fire at crowds “even though it was clear they posed no threat” www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
June 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
Obituary: Peter Krykant, harm reduction campaigner

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Peter Krykant obituary
Drugs policy campaigner whose commitment to harm reduction led him to set up an overdose prevention service
www.theguardian.com
June 20, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
“There’s only so many times you can be lucky, sweetheart.” I spent several days at The Thistle - the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility - talking to staff & users. Here is the piece I wrote for the @lrb.co.uk. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Dani Garavelli · ‘Bang! I was out’: On Drug Consumption Rooms
For some critics, providing a safe space to inject seems too much like enabling or endorsing drug taking. But for those...
www.lrb.co.uk
June 18, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
The "No Space for Bezos" campaign plans to occupy the city's streets and canals to send the message that the Amazon founder is not welcome in the city, which is already saddled with massive overtourism.

#EuropeNews
'We don't need Bezos': Venetians plan to protest billionaire's wedding
The "No Space for Bezos" campaign plans to occupy the city's streets and canals to send the message that the Amazon founder is not welcome in the city, which is already saddled with massive overtourism.
l.euronews.com
June 18, 2025 at 5:49 PM
My piece today for @euronews.com on the potential danger of 'information voids' and platform responsibility amid the Liverpool collision
www.euronews.com/2025/05/27/e...
Experts praise swift release of details about Liverpool crash suspect
“Information voids are almost a gravitational force for conspiracy theorists," said one expert who welcomed the police's early intervention.
www.euronews.com
May 27, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
Words fail confronted with this endless, daily barbarity. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Gaza’s youngest influencer aged 11 among children killed by Israeli strikes
Yaqeen Hammad offered tips for surviving life under bombardment and is just one of dozens of minors who have died
www.theguardian.com
May 27, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
Journalists have protested against the behaviour of activists who they say harass them and impede their work.

#EuropeNews
Spain considers press access shakeup to parliament after disruptions
Journalists have protested against the behaviour of activists who they say harass them and impede their work.
l.euronews.com
May 21, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
🧵 I’ve talked a lot about disordered discourse, conspiracies, polarisation, denialism. But maybe the better question is: why does this keep happening? Why does our shared reality keep fracturing? What are the drivers I talk about as a dimension of disordered discourse?
I've just come back from the Cambridge Disinformation Summit where I gave the opening keynote, titled "Demanufacturing Consent - How Disordered Discourse is Destroying Democracy", featuring everything from Fake Hooves to Jackson Hinkle being the worst.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-FV...
Belllingcat CEO Eliot Higgins, on how disordered discourse is destroying democracy
YouTube video by Cambridge Disinformation Summit
www.youtube.com
May 16, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
Absolutely incredible investigation by the team @bellingcat.com, TjekDet, Politiken, and CBC that uncovered the identity of the owner of the most prominent deepfake sexual abuse site.

This feels like the beginning of justice for victims. I am grateful 🙏

www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05...
Unmasking MrDeepFakes: Canadian Pharmacist Linked to World’s Most Notorious Deepfake Porn Site - bellingcat
Double life: open source investigation reveals Canadian hospital pharmacist's links to MrDeepFakes, the most notorious deepfake porn website in the world.
www.bellingcat.com
May 7, 2025 at 9:46 AM
www.euronews.com/2025/05/06/s... 'A new phase' in Sudan's war, says @chathamhouse.org's Ahmed Soliman: 'We’re seeing RSF seeking to hit previously safe areas, hitting critical infrastructure ... to make life extremely difficult for civilians and show the army is not able to provide safety.'
Sudan paramilitaries launch drone attacks on Port Sudan, officials say
Military sources said the paramilitary RSF group struck the Red Sea city on Tuesday morning.
www.euronews.com
May 6, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Acute malnutrition rising among Gaza's young children, UN agencies warn
www.euronews.com/2025/05/02/a...
Acute malnutrition rising among Gaza's young children, UN warns
As Israel's total blockade of Gaza approaches the two-month mark, organisations have no food supplies left to distribute, while some medicines are also running out.
www.euronews.com
May 2, 2025 at 5:54 PM
'Counter-terrorism became a huge priority in Europe [post 2001], so we saw a shift to easier methods that don’t raise alarm bells. A car, a knife – these are everyday items, often it’s very unclear that someone has bad intentions with them until it’s too late,' @bartschuurman.bsky.social told me
April 29, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
A nationwide power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, leaving millions without electricity. Reports indicate issues with the European electric grid. Updates to follow.

#EuropeNews
Spain, Portugal and parts of France hit by massive power outage
A nationwide power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, leaving millions without electricity. Reports indicate issues with the European electric grid. Updates to follow.
l.euronews.com
April 28, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
RFK Jr's appointment boosts Europe's anti-vax movements www.euronews.com/2025/04/16/r...

"More than half of the top-performing posts analysed were found to be spreading misinformation..."

"Clear connection' between misinformation and outbreaks."

#VaccinesWork
RFK Jr's appointment 'empowers' Europe's anti-vaxxers, researchers say
Most of the top-performing posts analysed were found to contain misinformation, according to social media researchers.
www.euronews.com
April 16, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
Meat industry PR campaign may have fuelled backlash against EAT-Lancet planetary diet, leaked document shows

- diet recommended shift to more plant-based, climate-friendly diet but was extensively attacked online

1/2
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
PR campaign may have fuelled food study backlash, leaked document shows
Eat-Lancet report recommended shift to more plant-based, climate-friendly diet but was extensively attacked online
www.theguardian.com
April 11, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
I'm keen to speak to disinformation researchers in Europe who are monitoring content related to health and vaccines, for Euronews – if this is you, please DM me or email me at clea.skopeliti[at]ext.euronews.com
April 9, 2025 at 9:30 AM
I'm keen to speak to disinformation researchers in Europe who are monitoring content related to health and vaccines, for Euronews – if this is you, please DM me or email me at clea.skopeliti[at]ext.euronews.com
April 9, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Clea Skopeliti
A second child has died of measles amid an outbreak in west Texas, sparking a rare rebuke of the Trump administration’s top health officials from a Republican senator on Sunday.
Second child dies of measles in Texas amid outbreak
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R), a medical doctor, called on top health officials to “unequivocally” endorse measles vaccinations before “another child dies.”
wapo.st
April 6, 2025 at 6:11 PM