Written Work
Sam Doak
Journalist
United Kingdom
Scottish journalist currently in London. Primarily cover mis/disinformation with a focus on conflict, extremism, and human rights.
United Kingdom
Scottish journalist currently in London. Primarily cover mis/disinformation with a focus on conflict, extremism, and human rights.
Written Work
Sky News' Data & Forensics Unit analysed recent posts concerning unrest and mentioning anti-migration hashtags, finding the majority originate outside of Ireland.
Analysis of satellite imagery and social media shows how Palestinians buried their dead in mass graves during Israel's siege of Nasser hospital, and how the IDF bulldozed these graves after it took over.
Geolocated images show three vehicles appearing in three different locations across a distance of around 2.4km (1.5 miles) in Deir al Balah. The World Central Kitchen says its team was travelling in a three-car convoy and its movements had been coordinated with the Israeli army.
While Israeli forces have entered al Shifa Hospital before, their recent presence began on the night of 17 to 18 March. Sky News has analysed images and videos of Israeli presence at the site.
Sky News has reviewed footage of the attack and pieced together the attackers' route through the concert hall as they carried out the deadliest attack in Russia for years.
Sky News has analysed seven attacks against Russia's border and oil infrastructure in recent days, including a claimed incursion into a border town.
Sky News has obtained satellite images which show the new 7km-long road, which runs between the Israeli border and the Al Rashid coastal road by the Mediterranean Sea.
Civilians were gathering to try to get food and medicine from an aid delivery - which in recent weeks have dramatically declined. The UN says a quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians face starvation, and around 80% have fled their homes.
Construction at the site of the former Wagner Group base in the west African country indicates Russia intends to continue building its presence in the region.
The four-day tour comes as ties between North Korea and Russia are ever-strengthening - even between the leaders. Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin gifted Kim Jong Un a luxury limousine.
The crowdfunding site GoFundMe has funneled over $330,000 in donations to unverified COVID "vaccine injury" campaigns, Logically can reveal. Many of these campaigns amplify misinformation, claiming that the vaccines are deadly, or pledge the money towards unscientific medical interventions, such as "heavy metals blood detoxing."
It has been almost impossible to avoid the images and videos coming out of Israel and Gaza in recent weeks, and lately, a separate disturbing kind of content has appeared across multiple platforms. Influencers mocking victims and people claiming that Palestine is using crisis actors have become prevalent.
Logically Facts explored what we know about the explosion at al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital and the misinformation that has circulated in the days since the tragedy.
In the wake of recent violence in Israel and Gaza, false and misleading information has been circulating on social media. Logically Facts addresses some of the more viral pieces of misinformation that have gained traction in recent days.
Over the last few months, large pro-Kremlin social media accounts have taken to sharing content that may seem out of place among footage of military equipment, photographs of battlefields, and maps showing troop movements. At first look, the videos, showing crowds of seemingly affluent young people dancing, socializing, and relaxing at beaches, resemble something a mainstream influencer might post.
An Embraer Legacy 600 associated with Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin crashed Wednesday afternoon near Tver after departing from Moscow.As Prigozhin's death was not initially confirmed at an official level, speculation was rife that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the downing of his plane. World leaders including U.S.
On July 26, 2023, Niger's elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, was detained by members of his presidential guard and removed from power in a coup. A few hours later, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for Niger's armed forces, appeared on television.
Logically Facts explores how misinformation and an increasingly active far right contributed to the riots seen in Dublin.
Senior Swedish officials claim the country has been the target of Russian disinformation campaigns around recent Quran burnings and its NATO bid. Logically Facts reports and highlights previous coverage on this topic.
Four months after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his campaign for the presidency, Logically Facts has picked out ten of the most outlandish claims made by the candidate on the campaign trail.
On May 6, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas . Official accounts report that eight people were killed and a further seven wounded. The suspected perpetrator was killed at the scene following a confrontation with responding police officers.
"The news, it's how we find out what's happening in the world. It's how we form our opinions. Opinions based on facts, that's the key, facts. Facts should be delivered to you by journalists based on the truth."
Early last month, readers of The Sun were presented with a mystery, as the tabloid reported that "a familiar face who is known to millions" had solicited intimate photographs from a minor.
On February 7, Nigel Farage hosted a segment on GB News on the topic of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and the Bank of England’s proposal to introduce a “Britcoin” by 2030. He framed the technology as a potential danger to personal freedom...
In the wake of the recent earthquake in Morocco, social media platforms have been inundated with misattributed videos, conspiracy theories and other falsehoods concerning the disaster. Here's a roundup of what Logically Facts has covered so far.
Since Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, the social media platform has seen an influx of previously banned users and organizations . Among these is Britain First, a far-right political party based in the United Kingdom. Long barred from mainstream social media platforms, the party and its leadership have seized the opportunity to reach new audiences.
"Today I will sign a decree on a full-scale mobilization, because to prevail over the dangerous and subtle enemy, we need to unite all forces of the Russian Federation." On June 5, 2023, Russians in Belgorod, Rostov, and Voronezh watched and listened as Vladimir Putin seemingly announced a general mobilization, something that many have feared since the early months of the country's war with Ukraine.
Logically Facts gives you some tips on staying informed during elections with this handy guide.
On November 30, 2022, Brazilians voted in the second round of the presidential election. Ultimately, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro was defeated by his leftist opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known simply as Lula, by a margin of over two million votes. Lula's victory was swiftly recognized by both domestic institutions and figures on the international stage.
Following his exit from Fox News, Tucker Carlson is back with a new show on Twitter. Logically Facts watched the first two episodes so you don't have to.
Logically rounds up some of the false and misleading narratives that have spread in the wake of the mass shooting in Nashville Tennessee, March 2023
In November 2022, Netflix released Ancient Apocalypse. Framed as a docuseries, the program follows presenter Graham Hancock as he travels around the globe in pursuit of evidence of a lost civilization. Hancock presents a captivating vision of the ancient past. Atlantis, he argues, is real.
Image credit: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea - Reuters "My name is Andrew Tate, four-time kickboxing world champion, multi-millionaire and all round nice guy. I was one time the most googled man on the planet for basically saying that 'water is wet.'" If you believe Andrew Tate's characterization of himself, he is the image of what many young men aspire to become.
Apart from the fact they live in places with excessive gold furnishings, what do Donald Trump and Pope Francis have in common? The last few years should have prepared us for anything, but it's still unlikely this question made it to our 2023 bingo sheets.
Logically Facts gives some easy tips to help you spot misinformation online.
On the evening of Saturday, September 17, a series of confrontations occurred in Leicester amid rising tensions between members of the Hindu and Muslim communities. The disorder, which carried through to Sunday, has sparked intense debate online, with competing narratives being pushed concerning its causes and the culpability of the groups involved.
On May 10, 2023, CNN hosted a town hall with former president Donald Trump. During the one-hour broadcast, Trump took questions from the audience, making a series of false and misleading claims. Logically Facts has debunked a selection of his most egregious comments.
The cryptocurrency exchange FTX declared bankruptcy on November 11. While there are many unanswered questions concerning the troubled business and the conduct of its leadership, the exchange's collapse has given rise to numerous conspiracy theories concerning the U.S. midterm elections in November 2022.
On October 7, Florida's Surgeon General unveiled the results of a study conducted to identify risks related to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Claiming that this inquiry uncovered a link between the use of these vaccines and cardiac arrest, Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced new guidance against the vaccination of men aged 18-39.
Once in Scotland's most populous city, they will seek to reach collective agreement on how to address what is perhaps the single greatest threat to human life on earth, the climate crisis. The USA's climate envoy John Kerry has said it is the "last best hope for the world to get its act together".
Consumers in the United Kingdom have experienced sharp increases in the price of energy over previous months. This trend is predicted to continue throughout 2022 and beyond, with a widely cited study by Cornwall Insight forecasting annual bills for the average U.K. household to climb as high as £3,582 this October.
by Sam Doak Research carried out by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has shed new light on the difficulties faced by those unable to provide identification or proof of address when attempting to register with GPs in the United Kingdom.
The occupiers are determined to keep possession of the building for the duration of COP26 and hope to be able to provide free accommodation to anyone wishing to attend the summit.
A coalition of campaigners and third sector organisations has recently launched a campaign seeking the closure of the Glasgow Mother and Baby Unit, a facility operated by Mears to house asylum seekers and their children in Glasgow.
A vigil was held on Thursday to commemorate Stanislav Tomáš, a Roma man who died whilst being restrained by police in the Czech Republic, in a case that bears shocking resemblance to that of George Floyd. Content warning: Descriptions of violence.
In anticipation of the fifth Govanhill International Festival and Carnival, Greater Govanhill spoke to some of the people involved in organising the event about what to expect from this year's celebration.
Eve Livingstone's Make Bosses Pay sets out a compelling argument in favour of trade union membership and offers a bold and exciting vision of how the movement can adapt to meet the challenges of the modern day.
A number of organisations gathered on Wednesday to show solidarity with refugees and oppose the criminalisation of migrants.
Those concerned about the future of community gardening on the Agnew Lane plot had reason to feel a measure of relief as city planning officials temporarily halted efforts to begin construction on the site.
Greater Govanhill interviewed writer and historian Bruce Downie, who recently published a book on the history of the Govanhill Baths.
A far-right group have targeted a lecturer this week through a series of posters which have appeared across the University of Glasgow campus. Posters with the slogan "your lecturers support your replacement" were created by the group 'Generation Identity' (GI) to target Dr Samuel Tongue, the Glasgow Guardian student newspaper reported.
An investigation by The Glasgow Guardian has revealed the extent of the University of Glasgow's financial stake in some of the world's leading arms manufacturers and military services providers. According to a complete statement of the University's investments, a copy of which was obtained by The Glasgow Guardian through a freedom of [...]
Sam Doak Investigations Editor A Glasgow Guardian investigation has found that Dionne Cocozza, The Brexit Party's candidate for Glasgow North, has posted and shared a large amount of Islamophobic and otherwise problematic content on social media. A large number of Cocozza's tweets concern the Muslim community in the UK and attempt to portray this community [...]
Sam Doak Investigations Editor Cairn Estate and Letting fails to inform tenants of compromised email account. A series of emails obtained by The Glasgow Guardian appear to show that an email account owned by Cairn Estate and Letting Agency has been compromised, potentially exposing the personal information of numerous tenants.
Sam Doak Deputy News Editor Father Ross Campbell, the Catholic chaplain for the University of Glasgow, is also currently acting as the Glasgow chaplain for Courage International, an organisation with the goal of encouraging LGBTQ+ people of the Catholic faith to live in abstinence, The Glasgow Guardian has learned.
Sam DoakInvestigations Editor The ability of the University of Glasgow to provide adequate support to its disabled students is being called into question due to the institution's treatment of a visually impaired member of the student body. After enduring four years of allegedly sub-standard support by the university's disability service, Gary Copland, an undergraduate law [...]
Sam Doak Reporter Ubereats couriers are planning a fast food shutdown on October 4 in solidarity with workers of TGI Fridays, Wetherspoons and McDonald's Couriers for the food delivery service Ubereats have announced they will be participating in industrial action this week. According to the advocacy group Couriers Network Scotland, this will involve a [...]
Citations and Media Appearances
Palestinians are being falsely accused of engaging in "Pallywood" and faking the horrors they're experiencing in Gaza as part of the Israel-Hamas war.
Plans for central bank digital currencies are gaining momentum around the world - and so are conspiracy theories
As graphic images from Gaza flood social media platforms, many people are claiming those images are fake, in the latest iteration of a disturbing trope.
Since Hamas carried out its deadly attack on October 7 and Israel began retaliatory military operations in Gaza, a parallel war is being fought online. A barrage of disinformation, fake news and misinformation...
Kremlin-run Doppelganger Campaign Using Israel-Hamas War to Stir Chaos, With Antisemitic Graffiti Painted by Foreign Actors in Paris and Fake News Stories in Various Languages
Anti-immigration phrases about Ireland feature more frequently in US and UK social media
Catch up on your favourite BBC radio show from your favourite DJ right here, whenever you like. Listen without limits with BBC Sounds.
Sam Doak, a fact checker for the Logically Facts website, found the truth behind this baseless conspiracy theory.
This week's For Fact's Sake podcast looks at the reasons behind the far-right spreading disinformation about French unrest.
In den Sozialen Netzwerken häufen sich Videos und Bilder, die angeblich beweisen sollen, dass Berichte von zivilen Opfern in Gaza inszeniert seien. Dabei fallen viele User jedoch auf Falschmeldungen herein. Von Pascal Siggelkow.
Medan länder ger Ukraina miljardstöd, lever ukrainare det ljuva livet i Odessa. Det är budskapet som sprids i videoklipp som påstås vara filmade vid stadens stränder - där människor dansar och festar. Men flera av klippen är fejkade, kan SVT och andra faktagranskare avslöja.
Depuis le début du conflit qui oppose les forces gouvernementales à un groupe paramilitaire au Soudan, le rôle de Wagner - réputé proche des paramilitaires - est encore flou. Dans ce contexte, une vidéo...
Depuis la mutinerie de Wagner, on ne sait pas exactement où se trouvent Evguéni Prigojine et ses combattants. Après l'accord passé entre Wagner et les autorités russes permettant aux mercenaires volontaires...
El video muestra el incendio de la bodega de una fábrica de muebles en Rusia.