Apr 21, 2026 · 1 hr 10 min · 15 segments
In 2026, disinformation is no longer peripheral to nuclear politics, it is shaping how risk is understood, communicated, and acted upon in real time. In a domain where decisions are made under extreme…
So one of the key insights from our work is that radiological nuclear disinformation does not really behave differently from disinformation in other domains.
That matters because it means nuclear stakeholders are exposed to the same influence mechanisms.
And cross-sectoral approach means that we deliberately step outside of this nuclear silo.
And instead of analyzing RN disinformation only through the cases of radiological and nuclear disinformation, we also asked a more fundamental question.
How does disinformation work as a phenomenon? What does that mean to the radiological and nuclear domain? So we drew on psychology, media studies, political marketing, strategic communication, and information technologies.
Basically, the disciplines that have studied how information influences perception and behavior.
And when that happened, there were three recurring and interlinked dimensions that we observed.
Spread is more about dissemination strategies that can extend reach and visibility of a particular narrative.
And then experience is what happens inside the minds of audiences when they face such narratives, especially under stress and how then it translates into behavior.
And as I said, under crisis conditions, people process information differently, less critically.
Stress narrows their attention and people rely more on emotion and some sort of mental shortcuts called actually cognitive biases.
In such circumstances, simple, clear, repeated messages feel more familiar and become therefore perceived as truer.
When information aligns with group identity, people tend to embrace it and vice versa.
When it challenges their identity, it can be easily rejected, even when the evidence is strong.
against disinformation, not because they lack evidence, but because they are perceived as threatening people's values or affiliation, or the messages are framed in such a way that makes them processed easily.
If we turn to media studies, that actually helps explain why certain narratives dominate the info space.
So one of the key insights from our work is that radiological nuclear disinformation does not really behave differently from disinformation in other domains.
That matters because it means nuclear stakeholders are exposed to the same influence mechanisms.
And cross-sectoral approach means that we deliberately step outside of this nuclear silo.
And instead of analyzing RN disinformation only through the cases of radiological and nuclear disinformation, we also asked a more fundamental question.
How does disinformation work as a phenomenon? What does that mean to the radiological and nuclear domain? So we drew on psychology, media studies, political marketing, strategic communication, and information technologies.
Basically, the disciplines that have studied how information influences perception and behavior.
And when that happened, there were three recurring and interlinked dimensions that we observed.
Spread is more about dissemination strategies that can extend reach and visibility of a particular narrative.
And then experience is what happens inside the minds of audiences when they face such narratives, especially under stress and how then it translates into behavior.
And as I said, under crisis conditions, people process information differently, less critically.
Stress narrows their attention and people rely more on emotion and some sort of mental shortcuts called actually cognitive biases.
In such circumstances, simple, clear, repeated messages feel more familiar and become therefore perceived as truer.
When information aligns with group identity, people tend to embrace it and vice versa.
When it challenges their identity, it can be easily rejected, even when the evidence is strong.
against disinformation, not because they lack evidence, but because they are perceived as threatening people's values or affiliation, or the messages are framed in such a way that makes them processed easily.
If we turn to media studies, that actually helps explain why certain narratives dominate the info space.
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