The Whole Story
My career started with Reuters and the BBC, who had me covering wars and political upheavals in Africa and the Middle East. I got to work on some of the most important stories of the day, including; the war in Iraq, ethnic cleansing in Sudan and the political and economic crises that eventually led to the Arab Spring. I also got to work on domestic issues: I went undercover to report on violence against immigrants and I followed Boris Johnson around on a bike for a documentary about his time as mayor of London.
After 10 years, I decided I wanted to get involved in helping fix problems rather than just telling people about them. During the Arab Spring, I worked with activists trying to build democratic governments. I also helped the government in Iraqi Kurdistan deal with ISIS propaganda when the group captured swathes of the country in 2014. These experiences gave me a really close up view of how media and communications was being used by terrorist groups and dictatorial regimes. As the word "Disinformation", came to be used to describe this new phenomenon, I was asked to write one of first reports on the methods and tactics being used.
When I moved back to the UK, I noticed that what I had studied in Syria and Iraq was starting to be used in British and American elections. In London, I volunteered for political candidates and activist groups. Handing out leaflets and knocking on doors, I realised, that if those working for the common good didn't update how they saw media communications, they were going to get swamped. Valent Projects started life to help tip the balance.
Check out my YouTube channel to find tutorials on strategies and techniques that you can apply to your work
Check my Twitter account for regular discussion on day-to-day developments in the world of political influence and communications
Check out my Instagram for regular updates on the different projects I’m working on
On the Valent Projects’ website, you can check out the various services we offer different types of organisations
Join the Discussion
I hope there is something here that you find useful, interesting, reassuring - or maybe just amusing.
News Media
Podcast: Lies Travel Fast
This week we talk disinformation with Amil Khan, a former Reuters Middle East correspondent and documentary maker
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Myth Making in the Middle East
Let’s start with full disclosure: I am also somewhat familiar with pseudonyms, as I used one myself — Londonstani — for years
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Foreign Policy Centre: International Affairs in the Disinformation Age
In April 2017, I was sitting in an office with Syrian rights activists watching, in real time, as the Syrian regime and Russia manipulated a second US president.
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