Finding truth in a post-truth world | Elliot Higgins | TEDxAmsterdam

Eliot Higgins is the founder of Bellingcat, a network of freelance journalists and investigators, that uses open source and social media investigation to investigate a variety of subjects. In his talk, Higgins will show how a renaissance in the production and use of open source information is aiding investigators to uncover the truth behind a range of events, from conflict to corruption, from the downing of Flight MH17 to the war in Syria.

Eliot Higgins is the founder of Bellingcat, visiting research associate at King’s College London’s War Studies department, visiting research fellow at UC Berkeley School of Law’s Human Rights Center, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. He’s also an award winning investigative journalist and publishes the work of an international alliance of fellow investigators who use freely available online information. His inquiries have revealed extraordinary findings, including linking the Buk used to down flight MH17 to Russia, uncovering details about the Aug 21, 2013 Sarin attacks in Damascus, and evidencing the involvement of the Russian military in the Ukrainian conflict. Recently he has worked with the Atlantic Council on the report “Hiding in Plain Sight,” which used open source information to detail Russia’s military involvement in the crisis in Ukraine.

[jimlapenna]

Can I ask how you are funded plz, how do you pay the 5 full time members of staff?

[KeithChegwin]

Let me get this correct. The British press are basing all their findings from a bloke who lives in a council house flat in Leicester with a cheap laptop?

[jenardsoriano]

Our instructor included this talk in our course materials in journalism and I couldn't thank her more for doing so. Wow, that was a nice talk!!! I was all-ears !!! hahaha, that was great really, yeah

[djehankidd]

When MIT professor Emeritus Theodore Postol feels he has to justify his expertise against you Bellingcat, just remember that having much followers on Twitter and talking in front of people does not grant you a PhD in Nuclear Engineering. Other than this yes it is awesome to be able to access all that information on the internet today !

[eruston]

Ahhh... Elliot Higgins... THE FUCKNUT.

[ginypotonik]

A functioning democracy is dependent on the education of its people. Misinformation is way more than just being misinformed.

[winston]

Bellingcat is an establishment (as in pro proxy war against Syria) mouthpiece. Real indie media can be found (not all of it is great. but read for example: Tim Hayword's piece on Amnesty International shilling for the war being waged against the Syrian people. P Henningson's just excellent article: (on 21st Century Wire) *_AN INTRODUCTION: Smart Power & The Human Rights Industrial Complex_* -That's what journalism looks like.

[Doron]

the guy is a paid liar with no expertise of any sort. on the chemical attack in Ghouta he was proved to have lied big times by a MIT professor; he has been charged with having misused an image processor by the same creator of that processor.. and so on... don't be fooled by this sweet face guy. let him go back to play video games

[shamanahaboolist]

"We've blurred their faces because we don't want people hunting them down"... but then presents all their names and tells people it's easy to find their movements out on social media...
All of a sudden I am suspicious of this guy.

[TheDalitis]

Some missile launchers were moved from Russia to E. Ukraine to shoot down Ukrainian warplanes that were bombing the cities of Donetsk & Luhansk. So what? This proves absolutely nothing. Since Ukraine has the exact same missiles and also other means of shooting down a civilian airliner we can never know who did it.

All we can be sure of, is who had an incentive for something like this to happen.

[vladyslav.greziev]

Thank you Elliot, thank you TEDxAmsterdam. From TEDxKyiv team and all Ukraine.

[Dunkleosteus]

We're screwed: because everything this man says and presents could be faked too. And there's no way for us to find out if it is or isn't. Notice for example that all the faces are blurred out intentionally - the people in the photos could be anyone including hired "models" who were also misinformed about the reason for taking their photos. I do not say that's what is true, I'm saying it's really impossible for viewers to find out.

[mudchair]

You've lots of blood on your hands, Mr. Higgins.

[EvilNeonETC]

This is literally just using logic against the opponent to disprove their own logic. It's a whole new game of who's the witch!

[JL-jhzn]

reminds me of the documentary "don't f*ck with cats"

[PerryCuda]

The Russian trolls here in the comments are hilarious.

[aon]

If you are independent, why do uou allways find out exactly what the MI 6 wants us to hear.

[rodrigoloza]

This guy is going to get in trouble. Very brave, i admire you!

[OIOnaut]

I have brains. I use them too. If I was a major force factor and chose to attack this guy, I would flood this comment section and every single one he attends with comments like the ones below making him look fraud. That is what I would do, but I am not so instead I wrote this. If some one chooses to blacken an individual at least that organisation should present reference and easily verified proof of that. What should be reasoned about that? Lets find out if yo trolls are true trolls or if a legion of clerks are working overtime from the watchtowers of Poo-Tin

[thomasarillotta]

4/19/23 Viewing and learning; loved it!