Countering Disinformation Activities

The GPRG Team is thrilled to share the release of our first policy paper: Countering Disinformation Activities: How to Tackle Disinformation on Migration in the EU, written by lead authors Bahadir Sirin, Camilla Castelanelli, Ketrin Jochecova, and Tanya Justet!

Migration remains a contentious political issue that is subject to significant disinformation. However, the false narratives and themes on migration are not static; they adapt as events develop and public concerns shift.

Disinformation is fundamentally a social issue, highlighting the shortcomings of each democracy's legal, political, and cultural institutions. A crisis of legitimacy among traditional knowledge providers lies at the root of the problem. The EU and member states, however, are looking for solutions in the wrong realm; they are fixated on limiting the flow of information. The majority of the measures to date have been geared around limiting disinformation through fact-checking, digital tools, and legislative regulations. However, societal solutions have not gotten the necessary attention. Therefore, this paper's recommendations revolve around societal solutions that can reach the broader base of society.

This policy paper is the first in GPRG's Election Series, a series composed of four policy papers that center around topics relevant to the upcoming Swedish elections, which take place on the 11th of September. Stay tuned for the release of the remaining reports in the series, as well as for more information about the organization's formal launch event and the announcement of open positions within GPRG that will follow shortly.

You can find the full version of the paper above.