The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

The Pell Center at Salve Regina University
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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. 

  1. 3D AGO

    Special Edition: Benjamin Franklin and the Dawn of American Covert Influence Operations

    As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, we examine Benjamin Franklin’s 1782 disinformation operation during the peace negotiations with Britain. As American diplomats sought formal recognition of independence following Yorktown, Franklin produced a fabricated supplement to the Boston Independent Chronicle, printed in France but designed to appear authentic, alleging British officials had encouraged atrocities by their Native American allies. The forged document aimed to inflame British public opinion and exploit existing parliamentary criticism of the war’s conduct, thereby indirectly strengthening the American negotiating position in Paris. Though there is no direct evidence the forgery altered votes or treaty terms, the episode reveals Franklin’s strategic use of media manipulation and covert influence, with clear parallels to more modern active measures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    6 min

  2. FEB 21

    The Noise War with J.J. Green

    “Flood the zone.”  That’s the strategy advice of domestic political operatives and hostile foreign intelligence services.  Veteran national security journalist J.J. Green stands in the midst of the ensuing storm with a new handbook, The Noise War, to help reporters, citizens, educators, and students spot disinformation, manage their information diet, and remain engaged in the life of the republic.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also highlight new reporting on a U.S. government plan to exert influence in European politics by platforming speech and content currently banned on the continent.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min

  3. FEB 14

    The New Era of Digital Repression with Steven Feldstein & Shreya Joshi

    As anti-government protests in Iran ratcheted-up in the waning days of 2025, the Iranian government cracked-down harshly, using physical violence against their own people and shutting down the internet in the country. Steven Feldstein and Shreya Joshi of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace put Iran’s actions in a broader global context of digital-repression where regimes fight the population by controlling the flow of information.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the Trump administration’s overt efforts to shape political debate in Europe before turning their attention to the deployment of StarLink terminals to Iran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

  4. FEB 7

    Inauthentic 'Fan Pages' with Shawn Eib and Eric Nelson

    Somebody is growing a network of pages across social media targeting professional sports franchises in the United States and the star athletes they employ with rage bait, spam, and AI slop that undermines the multi-billion dollar sports industry. This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the operation of these networks with Shawn Eib and Eric Nelson of Alethea, the private firm whose research identified their presence. Also on the docket: informal information networks in Venezuela and one Russia-linked network’s exploitation of the content of the Epstein files. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

  5. JAN 31

    Migrant Warfare with Karen-Anna Eggen & Jyri Lavikainen

    Before it became a Europe-wide phenomenon, Russia's use of migration as a weapon was a test-case stressing the borders between Russia and its two arctic neighbors: Norway and Finland. On this week's episode of the podcast, Karen-Anna Eggen (Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies) and Jyri Lavikainen (Finnish Institute for International Affairs) share their research detailing Russia's efforts to weaponize human migration.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also review new reporting on the potential for agentic AI to disrupt defense planning and democracy, itself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    34 min

  6. JAN 24

    Special Edition: Russia's Support for American Separatism

    "Russia is our friend?"  It was a strange refrain for tiki-torch wielding protesters in 2017, but it exposed the reality that for some American white-nationalists, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a role model as the last defender of white Christendom.  In this special edition of the podcast, host Jim Ludes reviews the American separatism Russia encouraged in 2016, the Putin regime's ties to American extremists, and its political, ideological, and geo-strategic goal: eviscerating American power. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    12 min

  7. JAN 17

    Protecting America's Elections with RI Secretary of State Gregg Amore

    Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore discusses the threat of foreign malign influence to American elections, Trump administration cuts to federal programs to support local election officials, and the enduring value of civics education and critical thinking in an era of ubiquitous disinformation.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also highlight continued, bipartisan Congressional support for U.S. international broadcasting and the real-time case study of what happens when the United States lacks an international information apparatus amidst political disturbances in a country like Iran.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min

  8. JAN 10

    Alliance Strategic Communications with Janis Sarts

    On the first episode of the new year, Janis Sarts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence discusses the current information challenges facing the North Atlantic alliance, Russia's current use of these tools, and the transition from an ecosystem dominated by social media platforms to one dominated by artificial intelligence.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also highlight disinformation spilling out of the U.S. strike in Venezuela and the actions of the Trump administration to sanction EU counter-disinformation officials and researchers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min
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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. 

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