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In this episode of FIR Interviews, we welcome back a long-time friend of the podcast, award-winning journalist and media researcher Craig Silverman, for his third appearance – this time to talk about his new venture, Indicator.

Craig is best known for his work on media accuracy, verification, and exposing digital misinformation, including reporting at ProPublica and BuzzFeed News, and as founder and editor of “Regret The Error” and its subsequent book.

Now, with co-founder Alexios Mantzarlis, he has launched Indicator, a subscription-based site and newsletter focused on reporting, resources, and training that help professionals understand and investigate digital deception.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Craig explains how Indicator came to be, the challenges of launching a media startup, and what kind of impact he hopes to achieve. He also shares practical insights for communication professionals facing the growing threat of coordinated inauthentic behaviour, fake reviews, and AI-generated disinformation.

Discussion Highlights

• What Indicator is: More than just a newsletter, it’s a professional toolkit, offering original investigations, guides, academic research summaries, and monthly workshops.
• Who it’s for: Investigators, journalists, trust and safety professionals, and communications professionals who “care about the information environment.”
• OSINT for PR: Craig walks through an example recipe using the “ABC method” (Actor-Behaviour-Content) for identifying coordinated attacks and monitoring threats.
• Startup hurdles: An early launch hiccup led to a week of unplanned exposure – and a valuable lesson in being ready for anything.
• AI’s double-edged sword: The rise of generative video tools like Veo 3 brings powerful capabilities but equally powerful risks of abuse and deception.
• Free resources: Craig recommends two freely available books as starting points – The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis and the Verification Handbook for Disinformation and Media Manipulation (which he edited).
• Vision for 2025: Plans include deeper collaborations, expert-led investigations, and possibly an event that brings together journalists, academics, and trust & safety leaders to tackle ethical challenges head-on.

About Our Conversation Partner

Craig Silverman is an award-winning journalist and author, and one of the world’s leading experts on online disinformation and digital investigations. He is the co-founder of Indicator, a newsletter and website dedicated to exposing digital deception and equipping professionals with the knowledge and skills to help them investigate it.

Follow Craig Silverman on LinkedIn
Visit Indicator

Mentioned in this Interview

• FIR archive episodes featuring Craig’s previous interviews on FIR.
• Book: The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis.
• Book: Verification Handbook for Disinformation and Media Manipulation.

About Neville Hobson

Neville Hobson is a communicator, social strategist, consultant, digital change agent, writer, and podcaster. He is co-founder and co-host of the 'For Immediate Release' podcast. Since 2000, his career has focused on working with organisations globally to help them leverage his experiences, knowledge and subject-matter expertise of social networks, social media marketing, analytics and insights reporting, to create and build foundations for authentic engagement and to expand online reach and influence. Full bio

About Shel Holtz

Shel Holtz, SCMP, ABC, IABC Fellow, is senior director of Communications at Webcor, a commercial general contractor headquartered in San Francisco. Before joining Webcor, Shel spent 21 years as principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. In addition to integrating technology into communications strategies, his expertise includes strategic communications planning, change management, organizational culture, business initiatives and communications research. Full bio