Jennie King
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jkingy.bsky.social
Jennie King
@jkingy.bsky.social
8K followers 1.5K following 230 posts
Professionally Online. Director of Climate Research & Policy @ ISD www.isdglobal.org. Co-founder @ Climate Action Against Disinformation www.caad.info.

Come for the heady combo of conspiracies, hate and extremism; stay for the whimsical use of semicolons.
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jkingy.bsky.social
London really is giving full Mary Poppins this morning.
View of London in the dawn light. The foreground is wreathed in a dusty blue-grey, fading into defiant orange where the sun rises behind the skyline. View of London bathed in dawn light. The London Eye, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament are framed hazily in the skyline, with smoke billowing from chimneys in the foreground.
January 10, 2025 at 8:24 AM
jkingy.bsky.social
A city awakes.
Panorama of London’s skyline bathed in the glow of a winter dawn. In relief against the horizon you can see famous landmarks including The Shard, St Paul’s and the Walkie Talkie. A nearly cloudless sky bleeds from gold into a fragile, perfect blue.
January 10, 2025 at 8:21 AM
jkingy.bsky.social
Screenshot from Washington Post article: “While the findings might seem obvious, they have some important implications.
“What this tells us, I think, is that people care about more than just accuracy when they’re sharing information in online social networks,” said Molly Crockett, a psychology professor at Princeton and co-author of the study. “In particular, I think outrage is a way to signal important aspects of your political values, your moral commitments, your social identity.””
December 5, 2024 at 2:30 AM
jkingy.bsky.social
Thrilled this is proving useful!

Sadly (or happily?), I am now addicted to finding every BlueSky account tackling climate mis-/disinfo, greenwashing, industry PR, Petrostate propaganda, covert lobbying, and other assorted malarkey.

The list doubled yesterday evening, so do update your follows. 🧪
Distracted Boyfriend meme with "All Life and Work Commitments" being ignored in favour of "Making a Starter Pack"
November 19, 2024 at 12:55 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Since you're here, why not check out
@caadcoalition.bsky.social's latest report? It covers attacks on renewables, wildfire conspiracies, industry ad campaigns + more!

"Extreme Weather, Extreme Content: How Big Tech Enables Climate Disinformation in a World on the Brink"

caad.info/analysis/rep...
Report cover titled "Extreme Weather, Extreme Content: How Big Tech Enables Climate Disinformation in a World on the Brink". Image shows flames from a forest fire, which as they rise become pixelated into binary numbers.
November 18, 2024 at 5:22 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
...sigh.
Breaking news update from The Guardian: "Argentine negotiators representing the government of Javier Milei have been ordered to withdraw from Cop29 and will no longer participate in the Baku climate summit. Speaking to the Guardian, Argentina’s undersecretary for the environment Ana Lamas - the country’s most senior representative on the climate and nature after Milei downgraded the ministry - confirmed the decision first reported by Climatica. “It’s true. We have instructions from the ministry of foreign affairs to no longer participate. That’s all I can tell you,” she said. Lamas did not answer whether Argentina was planning on leaving the Paris agreement. Argentina’s far right leader Milei has previously said that the climate crisis is a “socialist lie”. He threatened to withdraw from the Paris agreement during the election campaign last year but has since backed down. Yesterday, Javier Milei spoke with incoming US president Donald Trump, after which Milei’s spokesperson said Trump told his Argentine counterpart that he was his “favourite president”."
November 13, 2024 at 5:36 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Sorry all, The Big Tired suddenly hit. It’s been a tough week (/month/year) and condensing a 63-page doc for BSky has defeated me.

But fear not - to be continued tomorrow!

Alternatively you can read the report, which includes an Exec Summary with key findings, here: caad.info/wp-content/u...

🧪 🔌💡
Front cover of report “Extreme Weather, Extreme Content: How Big Tech Enables Climate Disinformation In a World on the Brink”. Image shows a wildfire where the flames gradually pixelate into binary numbers.
November 11, 2024 at 9:03 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
#4 ATTACKS ON RENEWABLES (2)

They are also framed as a tool for social control, aligning with conspiracies like ‘Climate Lockdown’ and the ‘Great Reset’. Policy interventions on everything from diesel vehicles to heat pumps are labelled ‘totalitarian’ or anti-citizens' interests.

shorturl.at/WUL82
Example of conspiratorial post likening climate action to social control, shared by Peter Sweden on X (775k followers).
November 11, 2024 at 6:57 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
#3 ATTACKS ON RENEWABLES (1).

Disinfo targeting wind, solar, and EVs has been remarkably consistent over time. Debunked talking points continue to go viral, claiming such technologies are inefficient, unreliable, dangerous, prohibitively expensive, or do more harm than good to wildlife and nature.
Post on X by former Australian MP Craig Kelly (147.2k followers) on 18 June 2024. Kelly’s bio on X states he was “censored by Facebook and You Tube for truth telling”. Post on X by Republican Congressman for Montana, Matt Rosendale (71.7k followers), with nearly 1m views, 23k likes and 9.7k retweets. In it he claims a wind turbine cannot function in cold weather and that coal, oil and natural gas are necessary "now and for the foreseeable future" High-traction post from Wide Awake Media on X (578k followers), with 13k likes, 5.5k retweets and 578k views. The image shows an isolated accident in the Netherlands involving a wind turbine. Post on X from Wall Street Silver (1.4m followers), an account dedicated to investments in precious metals which spreads conspiracy theories about the World Economic Forum, as previous CAAD research has shown. Notably, the account benefits from ‘gold tick’ status, meaning it has been verified as an official organisation by X – a level up from the more common ‘blue tick’ available for X Premium subscribers.
November 11, 2024 at 6:27 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
#2 ACCESS DENIED

We must track and dissect trends at scale, in real time, across contexts and languages. Yet data access is in dire straits. Much of the game-changing analysis from previous years - incl. our Deny, Deceive, Delay series - could not be produced now.

www.isdglobal.org?s=deny+decei...
Meta: In August 2024, Meta deprecated its Crowdtangle (CT) tool, previously a gold standard for enabling research into a range of online harms. It has been replaced by the Meta Content Library (MCL), which by the assessment of Crowdtangle’s original creator has severely reduced functions and utility. From the experience of CAAD members and our networks, obtaining approval for access is both cumbersome and slow, with many researchers still awaiting a verdict on their application to date. These requests are also now assessed on a case-by-case basis, a major change from previous years. X: Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X’s API has shifted to a tiered costing model that is prohibitively expensive for most research organisations. On Brandwatch, a common thirdparty tool for conducting analysis on X, research accounts are now limited to exporting 50k posts per day. While you can conduct analysis natively within the system, this prohibits other vital research with more sophisticated or bespoke tools, and severely hinders monitoring of macro-level trends. Such constraints are further explained within the case studies of this report, showcasing where they had a direct impact on CAAD and its members’ work. TikTok: TikTok has released an API that technically qualifies researchers to study public data on the platform. However, this access is currently limited to academic institutions located in the United States, European Union, UK or Switzerland, or not-for-profit and research entities only in the European Union. They are also beta-testing the service with ‘select researchers’ in the United States, European Union, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Applicants must provide a ‘clearly defined research proposal and show the access requested is needed for, and proportionate to, the purpose of that research’, as determined by the platform itself.
November 11, 2024 at 6:16 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
#1 EXTREME WEATHER, EXTREME CONTENT

The impacts of climate change are now
more visible and extreme - so too is the nature of mis-/disinfo. Wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and floods have all been weaponised to undermine action, and condemn anyone engaged in mitigation or adaptation efforts.

#COP29
"Blame is attributed, not to a chronic failure to meet climate targets or phase out fossil fuels, but at everyone from ‘the Jewish cabal’ to weather forecasters and frontline responders. Rather than being relegated to the fringes of public discourse, our evidence suggests that such narratives are becoming even more mainstream, more violent, and more impactful through repetition. In many cases, this process is inseparable from ongoing, systemic issues in the governance of digital platforms and the incentives built into social media. Each year, CAAD has tried to pinpoint how big tech infrastructure enables bad actors and produces harm – whether through the monetising of disinformation; algorithmic boosting of lies and abuse; opaque ad tech systems; failure to address repeat offender accounts; paid-for search engine results; or enabling the multi-billion-dollar PR and marketing machine of fossil fuel interests. Sadly, this report spotlights many of those same issues, suggesting limited progress in addressing them. The further decay of information integrity is not a foregone conclusion, but we must confront threats now, before the damage is beyond repair. A range of specific policy."
November 11, 2024 at 6:04 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Buckle up, kids: things are about to get maddening, bleak, and downright weird. But I promise we'll end with some viable solutions because - and I cannot stress this enough - the impact of disinfo on climate discourse is a SOLVABLE PROBLEM.

Tl;dr: it's bad, we can fix it.

caad.info/wp-content/u...
Mean Girls meme with the text "Get in loser, we're reviewing 2024 trends in climate disinformation"
November 11, 2024 at 5:53 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
🌍🚨 COP DAY 1: RESEARCH KLAXON 🌍🚨

As the summit kicks off in Baku, our coalition has published a major review of online trends in 2024:

“Extreme Weather, Extreme Content: How Big Tech Enables Climate Disinformation in a World on the Brink”

🧵 of key findings to follow 👇

caad.info/analysis/rep...
Cover for new report titled “Extreme Weather, Extreme Content: How Big Tech Enables Climate Disinformation in a World on the Brink”. The image shows a wildfire with the flames slowly becoming pixelated into a series of binary numbers.
November 11, 2024 at 3:43 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
“All users 18+ should have the right to opt-out of content moderation and curation entirely, and receive an unmanipulated stream of info.”

He’s so close to making a sound point - except here it doesn’t mean transparency of algorithms or user control, but rather an unfettered stream of racial hate.
Final section of statement made by Donald Trump on “free speech”: Furthermore, when users of big online platforms have their content or accounts removed, throttled, shadow-banned, or otherwise restricted no matter what name they use, they should have the right to be informed that it’s happening, the right to a specific explanation of the reason why, and the right to a timely appeal. In addition, all users over the age of 18 should have the right to opt-out of content moderation and curation entirely, and receive an unmanipulated stream of information if they so choose. The fight for Free Speech is a matter of victory or death for America—and for the survival of Western Civilization itself. When I am President, this whole rotten system of censorship and information control will be ripped out of the system at large. There won’t be anything left.
November 9, 2024 at 4:18 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
You know a line has been crossed when even STEVE MILLOY - Heartland shill, disinfo super-spreader, literal architect of the “climate lockdown” conspiracy - is out here fact-checking.

What a time to be alive.

(H/t to @phenominal.bsky.social for spotting this gem)

www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/u...
Post from Steve Milloy in which he fact-checks various conspiracies about hurricanes, including that they are caused by government manipulation of the weather.
October 9, 2024 at 7:27 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
A few more, just to hammer home the point. Note the 'Happy Merchant' antisemitic trope cited in image #2. Both these tweets are from earlier today.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_M...
Post from account named "Donald J. Trump News" implying weather models failed to predict Hurricane Milton and questioning if it's 'completely natural'. Only live for a few hours, and already racking up 4.7m views, 29k likes and 8.2k retweets. Tweet by an account named "Gentile News Network", in which a satellite image shows clouds shaped like the antisemitic stereotype of a Jewish Man (the 'Happy Merchant' trope). Comments include an AI-generated image of a religious man with a beard and a lizard dressed in the same clothing saying "faster!" to a scientist in a lab coat, as he controls a panel with weather imagery.
October 8, 2024 at 2:59 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
These trends are only worsening with Hurricane Milton, another Category 4 monster set to devastate Florida.

For example, this post from yesterday which already has 1.4m views and 10k likes on X.

If you’d like to discuss our research, my DMs are open or you can email media@isdglobal.org.
Post from X with 1.4m views and 10k likes, claiming to show “frequency waves pumping through Milton” and calling the hurricane “weather weapons. Not natural”. A Community Note is attached debunking the claim via a range of scientific sources, but the post continues to gain traction. It was only shared yesterday.
October 8, 2024 at 2:33 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene racking up an absurd 43m views and nearly 42k likes for this.
Post from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claiming the government can control the weather, with 43m views and 42k likes
October 8, 2024 at 1:21 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Am loathe to give this content more oxygen, but also think it’s important to see how overt and extreme the antisemitic attacks are. A few examples:
Post on X with 39k views and over 2k likes citing the supposed Jewish leadership of gov agencies, with Stars of David marking each bullet point. Post with an image labelled “The Kingdom of Alejandro Mayorkas” including a Star of David and the insignia of various government agencies. Post listing Jewish personnel within FEMA by name and picture, with the caption “There are 2 kinds of people in this world - those who can read the chart, and those who notice this chart.” I have blurred out their images and details to respect privacy. “Noticing” is a dog-whistle harking back to the Nazis, intended to highlight Jews as a threat to public life.
October 8, 2024 at 1:18 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
A handful of examples blaming the hurricane on weather manipulation, including cloud-seeding and HAARP.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also posted on this issue, alleging that Helene had been directed towards Republican-majority states.
Post from Matt Wallace on X with 2.2m views and 28.8k like spreading conspiracy about cloud seeding Post from Stew Peters on X claiming Hurricane Milton is a targeted geo-weapon, with 2.2m views and 22k likes. Community Note applied to Stew Peters’ post on X, and showing the post’s huge engagement metrics. Post from account named “Concerned Citizen” on X blaming hurricane on weather manipulation, with over 820k views and nearly 20k likes
October 8, 2024 at 1:02 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Just got a push notification from The Times (of London)…
Op-Ed by James Kangasooriam in The Times arguing that Harris won the debate but is losing the Presidential race
September 11, 2024 at 9:47 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Ukraine and climate identified as the top two vectors for #disinformation in the EP elections, per 40 orgs working under the European Fact-Checking Standards Network.

techpolicypress/what-we-lear...
Graph showing top ranked topics for disinformation during the 2024 European Parliamentary elections. Ukraine at #1, followed by climate, then “other”, “national-regional context issues” and “Israel-Gaza” following at similar levels.
June 13, 2024 at 6:11 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted in Prospect Magazine’s “Big Thinker of 2024” award!

If you care about the impact of disinfo, have a partnership idea, or just want to know what phrases like “discourses of delay” really mean, check out our work at ISD www.isdglobal.org or CAAD www.caad.info
Screenshot showing the category winners for Prospect Magazine’s “Big Thinker of 2024” award, listing Jennie King (climate), Sylvia Tamale (human rights), Wang Hui (language and culture) and David Liu (public health).
March 22, 2024 at 12:09 AM
jkingy.bsky.social
Why does this matter? Here’s a few reasons:
Screenshot of introduction from CAAD’s mini-report published Sunday 10 December, which explores the “false solutions” lobby on social media during #COP28
December 10, 2023 at 1:05 PM
jkingy.bsky.social
Some key findings - check out the full (mini-)report here: caad.info/wp-content/u...

Chevron’s TikTok posting is especially ‘fun’…🌶️ 👀

#climatesky #greensky @ketanjoshi.co
Summary of key findings from a mini-report published by Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) on Sunday 10 December. The piece explore the “false solutions” lobby online - in particular industry misinformation around carbon capture and storage - before and during the COP28 summit.
December 10, 2023 at 12:45 PM