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Things I've Done

Things I've Done

I've had a weird career as a journalist. I covered the Turkish news, the oil and gas industry, travel and lifestyle, and finally, stuff on the internet. I currently work as a freelancer.

When I was at the anti-disinformation company Logically, I learned how to conduct and edit data-driven investigations using open-source intelligence (OSINT) – basically very fancy googling, social media sluething, and some odd bits of software that compile data in interesting ways. My colleagues and I studied radicalization and extremism in the wake of the pandemic, and how conspiracy theories cooked up online crossed over into politics. I still do that kind of thing sometimes. Here are some of the investigations that I've done along those lines:

Exclusive: QAnon crypto trading scheme lost investors millions
A Logically investigation has uncovered a cluster of QAnon crypto trading chats promoting fraudulent tokens, causing their followers to lose over $2 million.
logically facts logoErnie Piper,
A bombing in Gaza killed an influencer’s family—Instagram responded by suspending his account
Motaz Azaiza, a photograph on Instagram documenting the war in Palestine, had his account suspended, despite having over 3 million followers.
The Daily DotErnie Piper
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Focus relentlessly on under 25’: Leaked chats reveal influential gender-critical group’s plan to use children to push for bans on transitioning
Genspect: The U.K. group promises a healthy approach to sex and gender. Its leaked chats, though, show transphobia runs rampant.
The Daily DotErnie Piper

The HART Files: Inside the Group Trying to Smuggle Anti-Vaccine Myths into Westminster

Here are some of the features that I've worked on, which include interviews with cranks and radicals, deep dives into tough questions, as well as some travel stories:

Scientists vs Science: Interviews with Anti-vax Doctors

Why BookTok is freaking out over Google Docs
Google Docs AI: Writers are pushing to leave Google Docs fears that the company may train AI on unpublished, draft material.
The Daily DotErnie Piper
Kyrgyzstan where Turkic nomadic culture still lives
As the first country to split from the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan is a proud country that still honors its nomadic heritage
Daily SabahErnest Whitman Piper
Southeastern Turkey: Ancient spirits, hospitality, natural wonders
The magical atmosphere and surroundings that resemble fairy tales, combined with local hospitality of the locals, a trip to the southeastern part of Turkey…
Daily SabahErnest Whitman Piper

I was also fortunate enough to get the chance to commission and edit a few investigations and features. Editing is some of the most rewarding work for me – I really love working with writers, and I feel very privileged when they trust me with their stories. Here are some of the things I'm most proud of having the chance to work on:

I Was at the Capitol on January 6. This Is What I Saw.
At the January 6 capitol riot, and the two Stop The Steal rallies before it, Amanda Moore catalogued how disinformation about Antifa fueled violence.
LogicallyAmanda Moore

Keep Prisons Single Sex: How a botnet pushed a hashtag to Westminster

How Women In Rural India Are Learning To Fight Misinformation
Access to reliable information about the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce in rural India. Priyam Nayak interviews the NGOs training women in digital literacy.
LogicallyPriyam Nayak
Disclose.tv: Conspiracy Forum Turned Disinformation Factory
Disclose.tv, though it presents itself as a news aggregator, promotes pseudoscientific conspiracy theories on its social media without accountabillity.
LogicallyW. F. Thomas
Telegram: The Social Network Where Conspiracies Meet
logically facts logoBy: wf thomas& February 11 2022
The problem with fact checking a stranger’s disability
Twitch streamer Sweet Anita defended a YouTuber accused of faking Tourette’s. Alice Franklin explains why fact checkers shouldn’t doubt disability.
logically facts logoBy: Alice Franklin September 14 2021