Flavia Durach

Policies to address disinformation aim to protect a number of key public goods, such as self-determination by citizens, fair elections, and a healthy media and information ecosystem. The literature on resilience to disinformation finds striking differences between states, resulting from particular combinations of factors. Consequently, there is a need to maintain a delicate balance between coordinated action at the global level and localized interventions in response to particular vulnerabilities. Starting from this premise, this article explores the complexities of local contexts that contribute to resilience and addresses the tensions in developing evidence-based policies grounded in a wider societal context and system of values. Our study relies on data collected in an EU-funded project, Strategic Planning to Strengthen the Disinformation Resilience and the Management of Hybrid Threats, implemented jointly by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (Bucharest) between 2020 and 2023. By using insights from key project activities (public opinion survey and policy brief), we assess Romania’s needs and vulnerabilities, which can be addressed through personalized interventions for countering disinformation; we distinguish a particular architecture of policy responses and debate the possible courses of action for a systematic approach to disinformation. Overall, our study contributes to a better understanding of how effective policies for countering disinformation need to be fed by an awareness of relevant global and regional contexts as well as local factors, values, vulnerabilities, and sensibilities.

Project YouVerify! built up on project YouCheck!, and scaled up some of its main results. The main objective was to develop a Massive Open Online Course, the MOOC “Disinformation Step by Step”. The MOOC embedded the InVID-WeVerify plugin within MIL strategies to fight disinformation, including quizzes, serious games, etc. The MOOC was conducted in three languages (French, English, and Spanish) and over two iterations (November 2020–January 2021 and February–April 2022). It was concluded by a satisfaction questionnaire (N = 333) that provided insights into three major research questions: RQ1: Can the MOOC experience deliver learning gains and how? RQ2: Can MIL strategies support the fight against disinformation? RQ3: Can MIL engage heterogeneous MOOC participants in the fight against disinformation effectively? The results showed that the MOOC experience was up to the participants’ expectations and resulted in much lower rates of attrition than in most academic MOOCs; MIL strategies fostered the participants’ expectations in terms of their understanding of disinformation mechanisms as well as their use of fact-checking tools and techniques as well as refutation strategies; MIL confirmed its potential to train people massively and effectively.

The chapter focuses on current and prospective policy measures in the EU to counter disinformation, among which is media literacy. Media literacy practices and actions in the EU member states vary significantly in terms of their embedment in formal education, actors involved, number of relevant initiatives, and social impact. Against this background, our research objectives were: (1) to understand and comparatively assess current practices in France, Spain, and Romania to actively fight disinformation, with a focus on MIL, fact-checking, education policies, and (2) to formulate recommendations for designing policies to mitigate disinformation risks in EU. Between January and March 2022, within EU-funded project YouVerify!, we conducted 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with French, Romanian, and Spanish experts from relevant fields: decision-makers, experts in disinformation and media literacy, and journalists involved in the media coverage of politics and/or working in online media. The results provided insights on the public policies put in place in each country, in relation to other types of measures for fighting disinformation. Building on this up-to-date analysis, we designed policy recommendations in each country and at the EU level, to strengthen the impact of MIL practices and to increase their synergy with other types of measures.