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

🧑‍🌾 🇪🇺 How mis/disinformation about the 2024 farmers’ protests shaped public opinion. A recent report published by Newtral and Science Feedback – in the context of an EFCSN project called Climate Facts – details how various actors weaponized the 2024 farmers' protests in Europe to spread disinformation about climate and undermine climate action. The study reveals that far-right politicians were behind 81.6% of the most popular anti-climate action posts, which included false claims about the EU promoting lab-grown meat and destroying water infrastructure. According to the report, these narratives resonated deeply, attracting three times more interactions than broader anti-climate sentiments, and significantly influenced public opinion, fueling distrust towards the EU and inducing EU and national institutions to backtrack on climate measures. For a detailed analysis, download the full report from the EFCSN Climate Facts database: Reports EFCSN Climate Facts.


🇧🇬 🇸🇰 Why Bulgaria and Slovakia are most vulnerable to Kremlin disinformation. According to analyses from local fact-checking organizations, the two countries are highly susceptible to Kremlin disinformation due to a combination of factors, and share several similarities. Both countries have seen active Russian propaganda exploiting existing conspiracy theories and skepticism towards Western policies, concerning for example the vaccination campaign and, after the Russian invasion, the war in Ukraine.

Local journalists report that political figures and mainstream media in both nations often echo Kremlin narratives, legitimizing disinformation narratives. Moreover, societal attitudes, influenced by past Soviet ties and current economic challenges, contribute to a fertile ground for Russian disinformation campaigns, particularly around polarizing topics. Read the dedicated analysis here: Защо България и Словакия са най-уязвими към дезинформация от Кремъл (in Bulgarian).


📚 Books as a medium for spreading disinformation. A series of books titled Rhetoric of the LGBT Movement in Light of Scientific Facts by Wiktor Lysov has been recently published by Polish publisher 3DOM and labeled as bestsellers by the publisher itself. According to an investigation by Pravda – a fact-checking organization part of the EDMO network – the series is being used by Russian propaganda targeting LGBTQ+ issues and Lysov is likely a fictitious author used for the purpose, whose name appears to be linked to a Russian organization known for spreading anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Pravda points out that the book’s claims are unscientific, citing outdated and biased sources. Read the full text of the investigation here: Bestsellerowy pisarz, który… nie istnieje? Sprawdzamy, kim jest autor „Retoryki ruchu LGBT” (in Polish).


⚖️ 🇩🇪 The false story about Germany decriminalizing the possession of child pornography is widespread. Recently, social media posts in various EU countries have falsely claimed that Germany has decriminalized child pornography. In fact, the German government amended its laws to make them more flexible and to avoid penalizing those who report such content or come across it unintentionally. The modification reduces minimum sentences but maintains severe penalties for serious offenses.

The law has been targeted by disinformation of this kind since its proposal and false claims are being recently recirculated in order to portray German politicians as pedophiles, a tactic also used against Ukrainian leadership. The false story was detected in: EL, ES, FR, HR, BG, and even outside the EU.

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

What is a “disinformation narrative”? Please find here a short methodological note about the definition used by the EDMO fact-checking network.

The Disinfo Bulletin 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.

Photo: Kristoffer Trolle, 2020