Has the fight against disinformation reached a turning point? How can we mitigate its spread on Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs)? How do AI advancements, policy shifts, and geopolitical changes shape our response? How does the changing cultural and technological context challenge the approaches to media education and fact-checking? What are the democratic issues and challenges raised by disinformation and how we proceed to mitigate it?
By asking critical questions such as “Where are we now?” and “Where are we going?”, this workshop and networking event aims to provide a multidisciplinary platform for reflecting on the state of (the mitigation of) disinformation and for discussing ways forward for Belgium, Luxembourg, and beyond. The sessions will feature presentations by EDMO BELUX and other disinformation-related projects, as well as interactive roundtables with a range of stakeholders.
This workshop and networking event welcomes educators, policy makers, media professionals, disinformation analysts and researchers, and other stakeholders involved in the mitigation of disinformation, especially in Belgium and Luxembourg.
This workshop and networking event is an initiative of EDMO BELUX 2.0, a multidisciplinary hub that brings together academics, fact-checkers, disinformation analysts, and media literacy organizations to monitor, analyze and contribute to the mitigation of disinformation in Belgium and Luxembourg (https://belux.edmo.eu). EDMO BELUX 2.0 is one of the 14 national or regional hubs being coordinated by EDMO.eu, the European Digital Media Observatory (https://edmo.eu). EDMO BELUX 2.0 is co-funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101158785.
Programme
09:00 – 09:25 | Coffee
09:25 – 09:30 | Welcoming speech
By Trisha Meyer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and EDMO BELUX) and Geoffroy Patriarche (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles and EDMO BELUX)
09:30 – 10:20 | Session 1: Challenges and perspectives for media literacy approaches and initiatives
Exploring Evolving Demands in Media Education
By Média Animation, Lie Detectors, RTBF, and Association des journalistes professionnels (AJP)
S.HI.ELD vs Disinfo: Students of Higher Education Critical Digital Literacy Development against Disinformation
By Nadia Tjahja (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
(5 min. break)
10:25 – 11:15 | Session 2: Regulatory frameworks and changing platform policies
Assessing Online Platform Accountability. Evidence from EDMO Code of Practice Country Analysis
By Trisha Meyer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and EDMO BELUX)
Online Disinformation: Current Status and Developments under the Digital Services Act
By Jean De Meyere (KULeuven and UCLouvain) and Clément Maertens (UCLouvain)
11:15 – 11:30 | Coffee break
11:30 – 12:30 | Session 3: interactive roundtable
With Julien Giry (Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel/CSA), Eliane Richter (Medienzentrums der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft), Tatiana Debrabandere (Conseil supérieur de l’éducation aux médias /CSEM and EDMO BELUX), Nadia Tjahja (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Trisha Meyer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and EDMO BELUX), and Clément Maertens (UCLouvain)
Moderation by Victor Wiard (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles)
12:30 – 13h45 | Lunch
13:45 – 14h35 | Session 4: Fact-checking, legacy media and journalism under pressure
Discrediting media, destabilizing journalists: Recent attempts in Luxembourg
By Luc Marteling (RTL Lëtzebuerg and EDMO BELUX)
Part of the problem and part of the solution: the paradox of AI in fact-checking
By Laurence Dierickx (University of Bergen and NORDIS)
(5 min. break)
14:40 – 15:30 | Session 5: Foreign information manipulation and interference: trends, threats and responses
FIMI in Belgium and Luxembourg: Findings from EDMO BELUX evidence-based studies
By Maria Giovanna Sessa and Inès Gentil (EU DisinfoLab and EDMO BELUX)
Understanding the Social Fabric of Foreign Information Manipulation: Insights from the De-Conspirator Project
By Tuba Bircan (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
15:30 – 15:45 | Coffee break
15:45 – 16:45 | Session 6: interactive roundtable
With Tudor-Petru Fabian (European External Action Service/EEAS), Muriel Hanot (Conseil de déontologie journalistique/CdJ), Tuba Bircan (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Laurence Dierickx (University of Bergen and NORDIS), Inès Gentil (EU DisinfoLab and EDMO BELUX) and Luc Marteling (RTL Lëtzebuerg and EDMO BELUX)
Moderation by Sabri Derinöz (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles and EDMO BELUX)
16:45 – 17:00 | Closing speech
By Trisha Meyer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and EDMO BELUX) and Geoffroy Patriarche (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles and EDMO BELUX)
Registration
Attending the workshop and networking event is free, but registration is required for the morning, for lunch, and for the afternoon. The registration form is available at https://forms.office.com/e/FCQWtDHiQ6. Please register by April 2nd at the latest.
Practical information
This workshop and networking events will be held at UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles, Botanique campus, in room P02 of ‘Préfecture’ building.
We advise you to access room P02 via the parking lot (not available for visitors’ cars) located at 119 Marais Street (Rue du Marais). Enter the ‘Préfecture’ building and the room is on the right, just after the door of the building. If you get lost, please call Loredana Guerriero at +32 (0)499 67 04 50.
The closest train station is Bruxelles-Nord. The closest metro stations are Rogier and Botanique. For more information on how to come to UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles, Botanique campus, please visit https://www.uclouvain.be/fr/sites/saint-louis-bruxelles/contacts-acces-et-plans
Organizing committee
This workshop and networking event is organized by the EDMO BELUX team of UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles (Sabri Derinöz, Loredana Guerriero, Geoffroy Patriarche, and Victor Wiard), with the support of the EDMO BELUX team of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Trisha Meyer, Nadia Tjahja, and Basak Van Hove).