"Disinformation is an endemic and ubiquitous part of politics throughout the Western Balkans, without exception. A mapping of the disinformation and counter-dis in for mation landscapes in the region in the period from 2018 through 2020 reveals three key disinformation challenges: external challenge
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s to EU credibility; disinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and the impact of disinformation on elections and referenda. While foreign actors feature prominently – chiefly Russia, but also China, Turkey, and other countries in and near the region – the bulk of disinformation in the Western Balkans is produced and disseminated by domestic actors for domestic purposes. Further, disinformation (and information disorder more broadly) is a symptom of social and political disorder, rather than the cause. As a result, the European Union should focus on the role that it can play in bolstering the quality of democracy and governance in the Western Balkans, as the most powerful potential bulwark against disinformation." (Abstract)
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"The Hewlett Foundation’s decision to add a focus on disinformation to its 2017 US Democracy strategy was motivated by a desire to figure out how best to encourage social media platforms to reduce polarization exacerbated by disinformation.1 The foundation invested in two major efforts to support
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this ambition: a multi-funder partnership with Facebook to create data access for independent researchers to study the impact of social media on democracy and elections; and a grant making portfolio conceived to build an academic field to deepen the understanding of disinformation and identify policy solutions that mitigate its spread and impact on society . We found compelling the suggestion that disinformation is better considered a topic than a coherent field, and that multi-disciplinarity brings richness in framing, methods, and applications. Among Hewlett grantees, scholars self-identify as members of different fields that carry with them important epistemological and philosophical differences. We found evidence that there are perceived gaps between researchers, platforms, journalists, policy makers, civil society and others that obstruct the development of policy solutions. The missing competency among many academics to translate research findings for use, and of the need for tighter connections between scholars and decision makers were additional insights we gained about important gaps in the current landscape. During the two-year grantmaking period, the disinformation portfolio invested in varied policy and academic institutions and supported a diverse group of principal investigators. This is in contrast to the perceptions we heard about the foundation’s lack of a diverse grantee portfolio and approach. We learned from key informants and secondary research that there is an inextricable link between disinformation, racial and social equity and justice. A stronger communication strategy about the foundation team’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion is warranted, as is a deliberate effort to showcase the work of all their grantees and their distinct perspectives. The foundation’s significant role in creating momentum for this body of work was widely noted, as was the need for continued leadership and support." (Executive summary, page 2-3)
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"Partiendo de la premisa de que se puede y se debe empoderar a la ciudadanía si se mejora la producción, el consumo y la circulación de la información, este informe analiza en profundidad dos cuestiones: ¿Qué instrumentos, iniciativas y políticas actuales ayudan a la ciudadanía a formarse un
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mejor criterio a la hora de consumir información? ¿Cómo transmitir mejor a los responsables de formulación de políticas y los profesionales enfoques sistémicos que les permitan hacer frente a largo plazo a la desinformación? Para responder a estas preguntas, la investigación se centra en el análisis de cinco casos de iniciativas puestas en marcha por diversos actores que tratan de hacer frente al problema de la desinformación desde una perspectiva multidimensional." (Resumen ejecutivo, página 9)
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"This report ties together young Pakistani people’s experiences of hate and extremism – with contextual research and questions put to young people in Pakistan, centred around their views on identity, media consumption patterns and perceptions of the state and national news media. This research h
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as resulted in a series of ten lessons for creating more effective counter-narrative campaigns that will help practitioners better understand the perceptions, media habits and experiences of Pakistani youth in relation to hate speech and extremism. The lessons have been modelled according to the methodology for creating counter-narratives, as developed by ISD’s YouthCAN project in 2016." (Page 7)
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"Data, including information collected by the MERIT project, demonstrates that social media and social messaging are powerful tools in Mali, and have the potential to both positively and negatively impact society, particularly in relation to violent extremism. Malian youth use social media and messa
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ging as a means of communication and information sharing on various topics. According to the youth respondents, confirmed by external information sources, violent extremist groups use the same types of social media both to collect and spread information, as well as to attract attention and support (including financial resources). Social media channels enable violent extremist groups to quickly and cheaply spread their propaganda among young people, who may be a vulnerable target because of their age, socio-economic situation and other contingent vulnerabilities. Because social media platforms are used by both the youth community and violent extremists, social media is a key means to either fuel or reduce violence in the country. It is therefore paramount for all users, from authorities to communities, to be aware of the risks and benefits that modern digital technologies can yield in preventing and countering violent extremism, and to be trained on the best ways to use these channels in a positive manner while preserving their security. The data collected and analysed provide valuable insight for future initiatives in Mali aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism. Further attention should be paid to the key role that youth can play as the main user community and, at the same time, as a potential target of extremist and terrorist groups. In this regard, training efforts should strengthen youth’s media literacy, by focusing on the risks implied in the use of media and by respecting and reflecting the specificities of the local contexts in which the different tools and platforms are used. Innovative approaches should be explored and enhanced in the attempt to develop effective alternatives and counter narratives, based on the fundamentals of media literacy." (Conclusions, page 13)
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"This resource combines the collective wisdom of organizations on the front lines of combatting disinformation globally. This living project provides an outline of what’s being done to address the challenge in key areas and provides a searchable database of the organizations around the world engag
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ed in making the digital landscape safe for democracy. Effective democracies require that citizens have access to accurate and impartial electoral and political information. Disinformation campaigns spread cynicism, distort political processes and hinder citizens’ ability to make sound political decisions. Together we seek to identify what works, and expand the community engaged in this effort." (Publisher description)
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"This Issue Paper examines nearly 1,500 news articles from four EU member states (Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic) published between May 2019 and July 2020. It shows that disinformation narratives about migration seek to exploit readers’ fears to polarise public opinion, manufacture d
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iscontent, sow divisions and set the political agenda. Disinformation actors link migration to existing insecurities, depicting it as a threat to three partly-overlapping areas: Health (migrants as violent criminals, potential terrorists, or a COVID-19 infection risk); Wealth (migrants as social benefits cheats, unfair competition for jobs, or a drain on community resources); Identity (migrants as a hostile invasion force, a threat to European or Christian traditions, or the subject of a conspiracy to replace white Europeans). An effective communication strategy based on alternative narratives should take account of the following recommendations: The message should aim to reframe the debate. It should resonate with the target audience’s lived experience, acknowledging their values and concerns, but avoid amplifying anxieties [...] The medium should aim to restore trust among groups. Institutions, which are often subject to discrediting campaigns, should prioritise communication through trusted intermediaries who can get messages to the hard-to-reach [...] The selection of the audience should aim to reclaim readers from the fringes. Audiences should be targeted based on their values and what they feel is important." (Executive summary)
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"Given the size and scope of the Russian propaganda campaign that targeted the U.S. electorate in 2016, it is critical to understand both the impact of that campaign and the mechanisms that can reduce the impact of future campaigns. This report, the third in a four-part series, describes a study con
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ducted by RAND researchers to assess how people react to and engage with Russia’s online propaganda and to determine whether the negative effects of that engagement can be mitigated by brief media literacy advisories or by labeling the source of the propaganda. Russia targets the extremes on both sides of the political divide, and a short media literacy video and labeling intervention were both shown to reduce willingness among particular categories of participants (defined by news consumption habits) to “like” the propaganda. This is one of the first studies to show that Russian propaganda content works, at least partially, as it is intended to—that is, it successfully elicits strong partisan responses that may help it exacerbate divisions in American society. For certain audiences, the content is also likeable and sharable. This study is among the first to use actual Russian propaganda in a randomized controlled trial." (Back cover)
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"Wie können digitale Ansätze zu Frieden und Sicherheit beitragen? Die technische Revolution macht es erforderlich, dass die wichtigsten Akteure vor Ort und weltweit zusammenarbeiten, um dafür Lösungen zu entwickeln, auszuprobieren und zu verbreiten. Gleichzeitig geht es auch darum, damit verbund
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ene Risiken zu erkennen und zu verringern. Smart Prevention stellt beispielhafte Ansätze und Instrumente aus der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit vor." (Seite 3)
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"[This publication] uses the term ‘disinformation’ to describe false or misleading content with potentially harmful consequences, irrespective of the underlying intentions or behaviours in producing and circulating such messages. The focus is not on definitions, but on how States, companies, ins
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titutions and organisations around the world are responding to this phenomenon, broadly conceived. The work includes a novel typology of 11 responses, making holistic sense of the disinformation crisis on an international scale, including during COVID-19. It also provides a 23-step tool developed to assess disinformation responses, including their impact on freedom of expression. The research concludes that disinformation cannot be addressed in the absence of freedom of expression concerns, and it explains why actions to combat disinformation should support, and not violate, this right. It also underlines that access to reliable and trustworthy information, such as that produced by critical independent journalism, is a counter to disinformation. Additionally, the study has produced a framework for capturing the complete disinformation life cycle - from instigation and creation, to the means of propagation, to real-life impact, with reference to: 1. Instigators 2. Agents 3. Messages 4. Intermediaries 5. Targets/Interpreters - shortened to the acronym ‘IAMIT’." (Executive summary, page 8)
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"This document presents a vision for a grand, civil societal response to online manipulation: developing the capability to detect it; the coalitions to confront it, the strategies to prevent it, and the structures of cooperation and funding that are needed to do both across all the causes and issues
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that it now threatens to undermine. It is a response that must combine the specialisation and sophistication that comes with scale with those particular strengths that civil society always has: its diversity, transparency, capacity to connect with marginalised voices, and its bedrock of humane and humanising values." (Vision, page 1)
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"In diesem Buch werden in 18 Kapiteln Phänomene der Kommunikation im digitalen Zeitalter vorgestellt und die psychologischen Hintergründe anhand von wissenschaftlichen Theorien und Analysen erörtert. Viele Menschen sind verunsichert durch eine Medienwelt, die unausgewogen erscheint (Fake News, L
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genpresse), in der man durch Clickbait manipuliert wird und in der Social Bots bald nicht mehr einfach von echten Chatpartnern zu unterscheiden sind. Abseits aller Hysterie erhalten die Leserinnen und Leser Einblick in faszinierende Erkenntnisse der Psychologie, mit deren Hilfe sich die schillernden Phänomene der Kommunikation im digitalen Zeitalter besser verstehen lassen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Die Digitalisierung hat nicht nur zu tiefgreifenden Veränderungen der Lebens-, Arbeits- und Wirtschaftswelt geführt, sie hat auch massive Auswirkungen auf die internationale Politik. Diese Auswirkungen, so Yvonne Hofstetter, stellen die Sicherheitspolitik der Staaten vor massive Herausforderungen
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. So haben etwa im letzten US-Wahlkampf die sogenannte Russland-Affäre oder der Skandal um die Datenauswertungen von Cambridge Analytica gezeigt, welch schädlichen Einfluss digitale Techniken auf demokratische Systeme haben können. Diese liefen, so die Autorin, Gefahr, durch autoritäre Akteure mit ihren eigenen Waffen geschlagen zu werden, da der freie Verkehr von Informationen auch zur Manipulation demokratischer Prozesse missbraucht werden kann und überdies sicherheitspolitische Konzepte ins Wanken bringt. So wandelt sich auch die Natur zwischenstaatliche Konflikte in Zeiten von künstlicher Intelligenz, Hackerangriffen und neuen Propagandastrategien. Die demokratischen Staaten, so Yvonne Hofstetter, müssten sich in der digitalen Sphäre wappnen, um Sicherheit, Stabilität und Liberalität für ihre Bürgerinnen und Bürger auf Dauer gewährleisten zu können." (Klappentext)
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"According to neo-institutional theory, the survival of institutions in society is predicated on a cultural discourse. Dubbed “the institutional myth,” this discourse reflects the core values, practices and aspirations of an institution and legitimizes its existence to internal and external stak
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eholders alike. In this paper we suggest that recent attacks on mainstream news outlets—notably President Trump’s accusations that they constitute “fake news”—have led journalists to defend the journalistic institutional myth as part of their efforts to re-legitimize their profession. Our findings indicate that journalists seek to bolster and uphold their institutional myth through a range of discursive strategies ranging from highlighting established journalistic norms and practices and emphasizing journalism’s central role in the maintenance of democracy, to attacking the accuser and calls to action in which journalists make a case for ignoring the president’s rhetorical assaults and continuing to do their job." (Abstract)
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"This paper provides a holistic policy approach to the challenge of disinformation by exploring a range of governance responses that rest on the open government principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation. It offers an analysis of the significant changes that
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are affecting media and information ecosystems, chief among them the growth of digital platforms. Drawing on the implications of this changing landscape, the paper focuses on four policy areas of intervention: public communication for a better dialogue between government and citizens; direct responses to identify and combat disinformation; legal and regulatory policy; and media and civic responses that support better information ecosystems. The paper concludes with proposed steps the OECD can take to build evidence and support policy in this space." (Abstract)
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"This book offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of the Islamic State's use of propaganda. Combining a range of different theoretical perspectives from across the social sciences, and using rigorous methods, the authors trace the origins of the Islamic State's message, laying bare the strateg
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ic logic guiding its evolution, examining each of its multi-media components, and showing how these elements work together to radicalize audiences' worldviews. This volume highlights the challenges that this sort of "full-spectrum propaganda" raises for counter terrorism forces. It is not only a one-stop resource for any analyst of IS and Salafi-jihadism, but also a rich contribution to the study of text and visual propaganda, radicalization and political violence, and international security." (Publisher description)
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"A timely call for a new ethic of journalism engagement for today's troubled media sphere, Objectively Engaged Journalism argues that media should be neither neutral nor partisan but engaged in protecting egalitarian democracy. It shows how journalists, professional or citizen, can be both objective
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in method and dedicated to improving a global public sphere toxic with disinformation, fake news, and extremism. Drawing from history, ethics, and current media issues, Stephen Ward rejects the ideals of neutrality and "just the facts" objectivity, showing how they are based on invalid dualistic thinking with deep roots in Western culture. He presents a theory of pragmatic objectivity and applies it to journalism. Journalism's role in interpreting culture, he argues, needs a form of objectivity that embraces human strengths and limitations. Defining responsible journalism as situated, imperfect inquiry, Objectively Engaged Journalism is one of the first systematic studies of the ethical foundations of engaged journalism for a media that is increasingly perspectival and embedded in society." (Publisher description)
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