News – Multiple Journalism

Signal Jam investigation exposes pro-Russian disinformation

Devid Ilievski — Fri, 15 May 2026 12:17:17 +0000

Signal Jam investigation exposes pro-Russian disinformation on X in the Netherlands

An investigation by Open Eyes Collective, published by Small Stream Media, has found that accounts connected to the former Russian mercenary network Wagner are spreading pro-Russian disinformation on X in the Netherlands. The activity targets Dutch online debate by amplifying misleading narratives about Ukraine, including claims about children allegedly abducted by Ukraine and supposed discrimination against pro-Russian citizens. The findings are part of Signal Jam, a shared project by Open Eyes Institute and Multiple Journalism that monitors how disinformation narratives circulate online.

Russian disinformation posts about Ukraine on X in the Netherlands

The investigation shows how geopolitical propaganda does not remain confined to international conflict zones, but enters national public debate through social media platforms. By tracing the spread of these messages on X, Signal Jam makes visible how recurring narratives are pushed into Dutch-language online spaces and how they attempt to influence perceptions of the war in Ukraine.

Signal Jam was developed to help journalists, researchers and the public better understand the mechanics of online manipulation. Rather than only identifying individual false claims, the project looks at patterns: which stories are repeated, which accounts amplify them and how certain themes are used to polarise debate.

For Multiple Journalism, the findings underline the importance of collaborative investigative work at the intersection of journalism, technology and democratic resilience. Disinformation campaigns are often designed to blur the line between public debate and coordinated influence. Tools such as Signal Jam help make those processes visible, analysable and open to journalistic scrutiny.

The investigation by Open Eyes Collective is a first example of how Signal Jam can be used to follow disinformation flows in real time and translate technical signals into public-interest journalism. More Signal Jam publications will follow as the project continues to map how online influence operations shape democratic debate in the Netherlands and beyond.

Partnership CleenVerify

Devid Ilievski — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:57:33 +0000

Multiple Journalism has started a partnership with Dutch start-up CleenVerify, a company developing technology to help people verify whether photos and videos are real. Its system uses hardware-backed cryptography to digitally sign images and videos at the moment they are captured, creating a verification link that can later be checked in a browser. The start-up says this is designed to address a growing “truth problem” online, where deepfakes, scams and manipulated visual content are becoming harder to distinguish from authentic material.

CEO Candaş Uygun

For journalism, that challenge is urgent. Newsrooms, researchers and the public are increasingly confronted with manipulated visuals, fake profiles and AI-generated media that can be used to mislead audiences, fuel disinformation and undermine confidence in reporting. CleenVerify positions its technology as a way to prove that a photo or video was captured live, remains unaltered and is linked to a device-generated digital fingerprint.

That mission connects closely to the work of Multiple Journalism. Our organisation is committed to strengthening journalism in an age of platform manipulation, algorithmic distortion and synthetic media. By partnering with CleenVerify, we aim to explore how verification technology can support reporters, researchers and storytellers working in high-risk information environments.

This collaboration is rooted in a shared belief: trust in journalism cannot be taken for granted. It must be built, tested and made visible. As visual deception becomes more sophisticated, tools that help verify authenticity are becoming increasingly important for the future of reporting.

Together with CleenVerify, Multiple Journalism will look at how this technology can contribute to more transparent journalistic practices and greater resilience against online deception.

Launch Signal Jam

Devid Ilievski — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:50:25 +0000

Signal Jam, the dashboard developed in cooperation with Open Eyes Institute, took center stage on Monday evening, 13 April, during a public debate in The Hague (the Netherlands) on Russian disinformation and democratic resilience. Presented by Joris Heijkant, the tool shows how disinformation can be tracked, monitored and analysed, offering journalists and researchers new ways to better understand online influence operations.

Joris Heijkant explaining how the Signal Jam Dashboard works

The debate took place in a packed hall at Nieuwspoort, where former Dutch intelligence officer Jelle Postma of Justice for Prosperity, gave an in-depth talk on how Russian influence works in practice. His contribution offered the audience a clear and urgent look at the strategies, methods and broader impact of foreign interference.

Moderator Annette van Soest spoke with MP Kati Piri and historian and journalist Hubert Smeets about how we can respond more effectively to foreign influence. The conversation focused not only on what stronger action might look like, but also on how far we are willing to go in defending democratic values without undermining them ourselves.

The evening brought together journalism, public debate and digital innovation around one of the most pressing issues facing Europe today.

This event was a collaboration between Argos, Open Eyes Institute and Haagsch College, and was made possible in part by Vfonds, the National Fund for Peace, Freedom and Veterans.