United against online disinformation

On the occasion of its 2nd birthday, EDMO held its 2022 Annual Conference in Brussels on 13 and 14 June. Journalists, media and policy practitioners, academics, regulators and members of civil society organisations came together to discuss current disinformation issues, such as Ukraine and Covid19. The conclusion of the successful event made clear that the next phase of the project will require an even higher level of ambition to tackle the challenges ahead.

The EDMO Taskforce on Disinformation and the War in Ukraine, chaired by Dr Claire Wardle, has published its report with 10 recommendations to further support the fight against disinformation and address challenges posed by the conflict. The recommendations are aimed at policymakers, technology companies, newsrooms and civil society. They are the result of weekly observations, research and discussions conducted over the past three months.

The Working Group on Platform-to-Researcher Data chaired by Dr Rebekah Tromble presented its newly released report to the Cabinet of the Commission’s VP Věra Jourová during the EDMO 2022 Annual Conference. The report included a draft Code of Conduct on how platforms can provide independent researchers access to data in compliance with the GDPR. The document finally provides a framework to facilitate academic research, filling a widely recognised gap.

EDMO welcomes the 2022 Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation, presented on 16 June 2022 by 34 signatories. The Code sets a broader range of commitments and measures for platforms and industry to counter online disinformation. An important role for EDMO is foreseen in the implementation of a number of commitments. EDMO will also be part of the permanent task force dedicated to the adaptation and update of the Code.

Following the public call for information on media literacy initiatives, EDMO published its analysis on the mapping of European media literacy initiatives in response to the war in Ukraine. Crisis and conflict require rapid responses to disinformation as the public looks for reliable information. The report highlights uneven but promising efforts and underlines the need for strengthened media literacy efforts to overcome future challenges.

Following the two online training sessions on evaluating the impact of media literacy initiatives, Professor Sonia Livingstone, member of the EDMO Advisory Board, shares her views on how to ensure the positive benefits of such media literacy projects. Assessing the impact of media literacy interventions remains difficult, as it is hard to measure the acquisition of skills, particularly with no standard baseline to refer to.