Information Integrity
Around the world, news media are facing strong headwinds; disinformation is spreading and becoming more complex. Disinformation increases political polarization, notably in Central Europe, where it unfortunately serves as an instrument of political competition and social disruption. Democratic values are at risk as people are vulnerable to falsehood in the digital age. This holds even more true in times of conflict and war when information disorder becomes rampant.
Targeted information manipulation is on the rise, resulting in a loss of trust in government and community institutions as well as an increase in acrimonious public discourse. Since technology and online actors can consciously or subconsciously reinforce disinformation campaigns, independent news media bear a special responsibility as public opinion leaders in enabling information integrity and so countering disinformation.
Digital technology and AI are often connected with cybersecurity, but we believe that technical experts must also play a strong role in the process of improving information integrity protection. To achieve this, connection between (independent) media and tech experts from the private sector is crucial.