In a world saturated with conflicting claims, rapid news cycles, and AI-generated media, the truth doesn’t just need defenders — it needs a method. That’s precisely what the Intelligence Spotlight Series tackled in its latest panel featuring Nick Vaughn of Reuters Fact Check and journalist-activist Layla Belhaj Mohammed. From dissecting viral misinformation to the ethics of surveillance, the conversation was both a sobering reality check and a hopeful call for digital responsibility.

Stress, trauma, and anxiety — especially during societal crises — narrow our cognitive flexibility. Under pressure, the brain reverts to old patterns, and misinformation finds its grip. The faster and more emotionally charged our information environments become, the harder it is for people to slow down and critically assess what they’re consuming.

In a world where your source could be a Russian dissident or a soldier in a conflict zone, the rules of engagement have changed. “You can’t just send two lines saying who you are and expect a response. You need to understand who you’re talking to, what motivates them, and whether they can trust you,” Ben explains.

Surprisingly, Sarah admits she wasn't exactly the academic type in high school. “I liked sports more than anything,” she laughs. But her career took a sharp turn when she joined the CIA, initially as an analyst. Just weeks into the job, she knew she wanted to be in operations, not writing reports. She told her boss, who promptly moved her into a targeting officer role.

Neus is passionate about one particular mechanism: access to information laws, sometimes known as Freedom of Information Acts (FOIA).

“These laws exist in over 100 countries. They allow any citizen to request data held by public authorities,” she says. “It could be something as basic as asking for hospital waiting times or data on school closures.”

“We couldn’t go to Afghanistan. The Taliban denied access. So we worked with remote sources, families, survivors, and a network of testimonies,” she says. “We combined personal accounts with visual evidence — sometimes CCTV footage, sometimes injury photos, sometimes images of bodies. And then we verified everything with OSINT methods — using sun shadows, geolocation, building analysis.”

“Don’t try to be the first. Try to be right,” Tal says. And don’t underestimate your own influence. “Each post, each like, each share — that’s power. Use it with care.”

“You’re never the first to tell a story,” she says. “Local journalists, activists, and civil society groups have been navigating these stories long before you arrived. Collaborate.”

Eman explained how visual evidence must be treated with caution—especially when releasing it could expose individuals. “Sometimes, the footage is so unique that it can be traced back to the person who took it.”

From tracing war crimes to unravelling propaganda, OSINT for Ukraine stands as proof that open-source intelligence, when used ethically and persistently, can illuminate even the darkest of wars.