FACT Aotearoa News Briefs 11 May 2026
Online outrage, spotting fake news, Russia's use of AI to run disinformation campaigns, Canada's take on disinformation and public health, social media and targeted voter suppresion, and more...
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FACT Aotearoa News Briefs 27 April 2026
Liberal democracies can win the cognitive and hybrid war against authoritarians; FIMI and disinformation as global threats; and Rising vaccine skepticism ...
FACT Aotearoa April newsletter
Kia ora koutou and welcome to another FACT newsletter. It’s our first with a new platform (Ghost) so please to excuse any glitches… In this edition We round up recent articles that caught our eye on the conspiracy theory and misinformation beat. We think about the latest report from
Why you should submit to the Royal Commission
It’s not ideal when government inquiries and commissions are hi-jacked into PR for people with a cause. But this is the world we’re in now.
The appeal of conspiracy theories
How does anyone ever fall for THAT?
The trail of the litter box
Beware the story that's too good to be true
A report from the DECULT conference
FACT member Byron reports from the DECULT conference, which brought together experts on cults and high control organisations, including many former members of cults.
Fake it till you make it
How conspiracy theory groups trash real experts and create fake ones
This group is not what it seems
How conspiracy theorists use front groups and pseudo-authorities
Our conspiracy community pipeline
"Don't start with Satanic Ritual Abuse"
Just asking questions...
JAQ-ing off the wobbly middle
A trip to the Mirror World with Reality Check Radio
Would you like to take a trip to the Mirror World? Voices For Freedom outlet Reality Check Radio are offering to take us there when they interview white supremacist Michael Benz.
Conspiracy Theories
Jagged little (pink) pill: goodbye RCR?
Perhaps Voices For Freedom realised that their decision to openly employ, feature and promote people associated with a more radical right-wing agenda than they had previously admitted to was a strategic error. By removing the archive as well as live links, they may be hoping their audience will forg
Covid-19 Information
We are submitting to the Royal Commission (and you should too)
The Royal Commission into COVID19 lessons learned has called for submissions and they're due March 24th. You can submit too, and we think you should: it's really important for the commission to hear from you.
Conspiracy Theories
FACT Aotearoa calls for ministers to boycott outlets promoting extreme racist views
FACT Aotearoa is calling on Government Ministers including the Deputy Prime Minister who have appeared on Reality Check Radio to boycott the station.
Conspiracy Theories
MOAR Problems: the misinformation techniques
In our follow up to The Leak, Confirmation Bias and Media Ecosystems, FACT Aotearoa look at the rhetorical techniques used in Barry Young's data leak to make it seem like it reveals something it doesn't.
Conspiracy Theories
The Leak, Confirmation Bias and Media Ecosystems
The recent leak and “analysis” of COVID-19 vaccination records is chum in the water for conspiracy theorists. They might not believe all of the data, or the conclusions made, but the story confirms what they believed all along. And they're using it to spread misinformation worldwide.
2023 General Election
River of Freedom – Dispatches From the Mirror World
A FACT member ventured into the rosy mirror world of the documentary River of Freedom to see what has been airbrushed from the New Zealand Parliament Occupation. The results is a distorted and aggrandised piece of propaganda, removed from the reality we lived through.
2023 General Election
Resource: How to Avoid Media Manipulation Attempts
Responsible Reporting on False Information. A new resource with tips for how media professionals can minimise narrative hijacking by conspiracy theorists and extremists, and maximise their ability to report on important events. Download now.
Ballot papers are destroyed 6 months after the election 🤔
The law requires papers to be destroyed a few months after the election – but that’s for a good reason, and it doesn’t make fraud easier. We get to the nitty gritty of why. The law requires ballot papers to be kept for six months after the official count
FALSE CLAIM: “They” manipulate the count
We count votes by hand in this country, and we count them carefully… but it seems like not everybody knows that. And it’s normal for the final result to change after election night, but not everyone gets that either. In New Zealand all votes are counted by hand. The
Our politicians are selected
NZ politicians are selected by their party and elected by us, not by a global cabal of "them". Quite simple really, but gird your loins for a long explanation of this conspiratorial thought-terminating cliche and why it's nearly impossible for it to be true. To start
Why conspiracy theorists are obsessed with the Bill of Rights Act
The government was careful to maintain the rule of law during the pandemic. It allowed itself to be challenged in court, and accepted rulings against it. That seems like the opposite of tyranny. But the conspiracists belief that they are fighting “tyranny” is one of the reasons you’re hearing
Minor parties policies target imaginary “globalist” plots. WHY?
Strange isn't it, that conspiracy theorist parties this election all have policies about reviewing or leaving international bodies like the UN, WEF and WHO. It's a tale as old as time, misinterpreting non-binding agreements as sinister "globalist" plots to control you. Let's