Citizens can defeat disinformation

Civil society for an open democratic debate

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dis·in·for·ma·tion 

[ˌdɪsɪnfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n]

  • NOUN - false information which is intended to mislead, especially propaganda issued by a government organisation to a rival power or the media.
  • ORIGIN - 1950s: formed on the pattern of Russian dezinformatsiya.

Disinformation today

Disinformation has always existed, but today it poses a serious threat to our societies. 

The systematic dissemination of fake news aims to confuse the public and to make people lose confidence in political institutions, credible sources of information, health authorities, science and academic research. 

Such practices have increased national discord and political instability in many democratic countries, which in turn benefits illegitimate interests and authoritarian foreign powers with a hidden agenda. 

In order to defend themselves against disinformation, European countries should promote a public debate with the participation of active and well-informed citizens.

How to recognise disinformation

We are all more inclined to like and share information we agree with. However, a cause can be right but some of the arguments used to defend it can be excessively emphasised, exaggerated or even false. Using sound judgement is always useful to avoid spreading fake news: 

  •  Is the source of this information reputable and authoritative? 
  • If not, is it anonymous or, instead, does it display credible automated text? 
  • What are the tone and the content like? Are they sensationalist, accusatory, derogatory, apologetic? 
  • Are there links to authoritative sources of information, or are references vague and all of the same kind? 
  • Are there personal attacks, endless repetition of the same simple message, allusions with no evidence or data? 

A video on how to identify fake news, in English (04'42'') A video on how to identify fake news, in Greek (3'30'')

How to figure out who you are interacting with on social media

When participating in a discussion on social media, we can come across users with very strong opinions. Some are real-life people, others are bots, or trolls. 

Bots or robots create interactions on social media in an automated way. Due to the very high number of interactions received by a post or a profile, we might have the impression that it enjoys wide popularity. But, in reality, someone just paid to get more ‘likes’ and ‘shares’. 

Trolls are people who behave aggressively on social media and try to scare you off from expressing your opinion in legitimate terms. They often cause sudden waves of disputes and anger in online debates. 

Both bots and trolls use false identities. If you see a profile whose identity is not clear, which uses strong language and engages in highly quarrelsome behaviour, it is better to stay away and not believe what they say. 

Here are two videos on how to recognise bots and trolls, in English (01'42'' and 05'01''). And here are two articles on how to recognise bots and trolls, in Greek (3 minute read and 5 minute read).

The EESC’s campaign: Civil society can defeat disinformation

Civil society is made up of us citizens. By becoming more aware, we can avoid disinformation traps and make informed choices. 

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has taken action to contribute to this goal by organising the campaign Civil society can defeat disinformation, launched in Sofia on 12 June 2023. The second event of the campaign took place in Chișinău on 18 April 2024. The third event is taking place in Athens on 27 November 2024. 

The Committee has also adopted opinion REX/432 on How media is used to influence social and political processes in the EU and Eastern neighbouring countries, specifically focused on the situation in Eastern Europe, and opinion TEN/830 on Safeguarding democracy against disinformation, with a focus on the technological aspects of disinformation such as social media, digital platforms and artificial intelligence.

Finally, the EESC has also hosted a youth gathering on the topic of disinformation, where secondary school students from all over Europe adopted eight resolutions addressed to the EU and its Member States on how to tackle the problem.

For more information

  • Ellinika Hoaxes – A platform that is dedicated to debunking untrue reports on the internet, as well as across all sources of information in Greece.
  • Truly Media – A collaborative platform that focuses on developing tools to fight disinformation and provides digital content verification.
  • MEDDMO – A collaborative platform that provides fact-checking, focusing on emerging disinformation campaigns relevant to the Mediterranean area.
  • https://politikometro.gr – A platform that is committed to checking the validity and reliability of different sources related to government work and improving the quality of the content offered to the reader.
  • www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/priorities/disinformation – How we combat disinformation, a page from the European Parliament in all languages
  • https://consilium-europa.libguides.com/Kremlin-Disinformation/Research-papers – Library of research papers on pro-Kremlin disinformation, a Council of the European Union site in English
  • https://euvsdisinfo.eu – an initiative against disinformation by the European External Action Service, in a number of languages

#EUvsDisinfo                                        #mediagovgr