EDMO BELUX 2.0 organised a series of three multidisciplinary workshops aimed to foster dialogue across sectors involved in the mitigation of disinformation, and to reflect collectively on the challenges, transformations and possible directions in this field. The three workshops were designed with complementary objectives.
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An overview of the state of disinformation mitigation, examining existing approaches and their evolution in a rapidly changing environment.
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A reflexive perspective, focusing on the ethical, political and communication issues around disinformation mitigation.
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The exploration of disinformation (mitigation) through different forms of vulnerability.
You can find the synthesis note on the multidisciplinary workshops here.
Key themes emerging across the workshops :
1. Disinformation as a complex and evolving phenomenon
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Disinformation cannot be approached as a simple or clearly bounded problem. Its definition, its forms and its effects are not always straightforward.
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The impact of disinformation is difficult to assess in a linear, mechanistic way. It depends on contexts, audiences, communication channels and broader societal dynamics.
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This complexity calls for a cautious approach, especially to avoid unintended effects when trying to address disinformation.
2. The need for a continuous multidisciplinary approach
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It is important to combine different approaches and forms of expertise. none of the multiple approaches are sufficient on their own.
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Dialogue and coordination between different actors is challenging, but necessary and leads to more nuanced and adapted responses.
3. Communication challenges and the difficulty of reaching diverse audiences
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The effectiveness of disinformation mitigation depends on how it is communicated and received, especially to engage audiences that are more vulnerable, exposed or receptive to disinformation.
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At the same time, this raises questions about how to do so without oversimplifying complex issues or creating new ambiguities.
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The question of finding ways to reach audiences also concerns access to and engagement with information more broadly, raising broader questions about how to maintain the visibility and attractiveness of quality information, especially among audiences that are less exposed to or less engaged with it.
4. Shared accountability among stakeholders
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Disinformation mitigation is as a responsibility shared among a wide range of actors, including platforms, public authorities, journalists, fact-checkers, media literacy practitioners and researchers.
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Each of these actors is expected to play a role and a variety of tools and frameworks have been developed to support their action.
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While multiple actors are involved, their roles, capacities and constraints differ significantly, and coordination between them remains a challenge.
5. Beyond disinformation: broader issues at stake
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Disinformation cannot be addressed in isolation from broader societal issues.
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Disinformation is linked to wider dynamics such as political polarization, social inequalities, transformations of the media environment and changing relationships to knowledge and authority.
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Broader aims of disinformation mitigation should be to support a healthy information environment, to strengthen democratic processes and to foster informed public debate.