Welcome to Disinfo Bulletin, your daily update from the EDMO network. Today's most relevant stories: 

🇪🇺 The EDMO monthly brief on disinformation detected in March is out. According to information provided by 36 fact-checking organizations that contributed to this edition, the main topics of disinformation in March were the Russian aggression of Ukraine (14% of the total detected disinformation items), climate change (8%) and the EU (8%).

Two news items in particular prompted significant streams of disinformation: 

• • Macron’s words about the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to help Kyiv win the war against Russia, which became the opportunity to spread demonstrably false content about the escalation of the war;

  • The terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall, a concert hall near Moscow, with various false videos and images trying to support the Kremlin’s narrative about Ukraine’s responsibility.

You can read the full brief here: Monthly brief no. 34 – EDMO fact-checking network


🇬🇪 Georgian government tries (again) to push the law on foreign agents, falsely claiming that the EU is discussing a similar directive. EDMO hosted an investigation from the Georgian fact-checking organization Grass (EFCSN and IFCN signatory) analyzing similarities and differences between the Georgian draft and the EU proposed directive. It clearly emerges that the differences are substantial, and the EU is well aware of this. In the Explanatory memorandum of the directive, it is clearly stated that the proposal "differs radically from those observed in certain other jurisdictions (characterized as ‘foreign agent’ laws). Such laws often include measures that unduly restrict civic space by stigmatizing, intimidating and curtailing the activities of certain civil society organizations (CSOs), journalists or human rights defenders. The label of ‘foreign agent’ under such laws frequently seeks to undermine both the financial stability and credibility of the organizations targeted. In contrast to such ‘foreign agent laws’, this proposal does not negatively label the activities of specific entities, including CSOs, nor does it seek to limit civic space".


🧊 Climate-change deniers claim that changes in Antarctic sea ice coverage prove global warming is not happening. Recently released data on the extent of Arctic ice shows that it reached its 15th lowest level since the 1970s. The fact that the ice was not at the lowest has been exploited by several social media posts to claim that the Arctic and Antarctic ice caps have grown significantly, suggesting that global warming is not occurring. This narrative is part of the usual denialism purporting that climate change does not exist, or that its effects are part of natural cycles and therefore not dependent on human activity.  However, long-term data confirm the continuing significant reduction in ice cover in both the Arctic and Antarctic, underscoring the seriousness of global warming, despite seasonal exceptions. This narrative was detected in: PL, IT, SE.

If you have suggestions, comments or requests about this newsletter, you can write to edmo.tfeu2024@eui.eu

This tool gathers material from the inputs of the EDMO fact-checking network, as well as a recently launched public database from the EFCSN network (Elections 24 Check), and the various national EDMO hubs, including community initiatives and insights from individual fact-checking organizations.