How narratives form, travel and change behaviour
Narrative forensics is the behavioural study of stories in motion — how accounts of events gain momentum, recruit audiences and shape what stakeholders do next. It is analysis and intelligence, not narrative control.
A reading of behaviour, not a lever to pull
We study how narratives behave in the world and how audiences respond to them. Our role is to make that behaviour legible — to explain what is happening, why it may be happening, and what could plausibly happen next, always with competing interpretations and stated confidence. Where a response is needed, Praetorian Global coordinates crisis communications; Lumen Veil supplies the behavioural and narrative intelligence that informs it.
Six lenses on narrative behaviour
Narrative propagation
How a narrative forms, mutates and spreads across channels and communities — the mechanics that let some accounts travel while others stall.
Audience segmentation
Who a narrative reaches, and how different audiences receive, reinterpret and re-transmit it according to their existing beliefs and incentives.
Influence pathways
The routes through which influence actually moves — the intermediaries, communities and moments that give a narrative momentum.
Institutional trust
How trust in institutions, leaders and sources shapes whether a narrative is believed, resisted or ignored, and how that trust shifts over time.
Reputational dynamics
How behaviour and communication interact to move reputation — the behavioural signals stakeholders read, and how perception hardens or softens.
Counter-narrative options
Evidence-led options for responding: what a credible, behaviourally-informed response could look like, with an honest account of uncertainty and risk.
Understand the story before you respond to it
A confidential enquiry is the starting point. For framing pieces and worked demonstrations of how we think about narrative and influence, see our Insights.