Stress Test for Democracy - Fighting Disinformation and Narratives

KAS

Left to right: Daphne Wolter; Dr. Ottilie Klein; Mateusz Łabuz; Valerie Scholz; Ferdinand Gehringer

KAS

Dr Ottilie Klein reports on the "Lisa case", which led to the spread of fake news in the context of the refugee crisis in 2015/2016.

KAS

Strengthening resilience against disinformation must start in kindergarten/primary school, says Dr Klein.

The fishbowl discussion focused primarily on the questions of how pluralistic societies and democracies can protect themselves against disinformation and narratives and what the Republic of Germany and the European Union should do to combat them.

Dr. Ottilie Klein argued that the issue of disinformation has not yet reached politics to a sufficient extent that affects the society as a whole. This state of affairs is unfortunate, she said, because disinformation, which can always contain true elements, massively weakens trust in democracy and the constitutional state, which can also be observed these days. The Cybersecurity Attaché Mateusz Łabuz agreed and outlined the current situation in Poland. The neighbour country is one of the main targets of Russian disinformation.

Valerie Scholz then explained the declining trust in the media, especially in the "classic media". One reason for this is that with increasing digitalization, topics and information are no longer determined by journalists. Nowadays, anyone can publish and distribute news and information. The content and its veracity are only rarely checked on the basis of facts.

Dr. Ottilie Klein, a member of the German Bundestag, pointed out that the best means of counteracting this trend is education and enlightenment. Other actions should be the blocking of so-called "troll accounts" and more stringent sanctions for influencers or other users with viral range who deliberately spread disinformation.

Mateusz Łabuz emphasized that the understanding has to be improved that the war in Ukraine is also taking place in the space of information. In addition, to an awareness of these circumstances, this could be met through strategic communication, he said. Proactive action and the development of counter-narratives are necessary to counter certain narratives in the information space.

Co-founder of Facts for Friends, Valerie Scholz emphasized that it is crucial to minimize the complexity of news. At the same time, constructive journalism should be practiced, which is more hopeful and shows solutions to problems.

Even if the spread of narratives and disinformation are undoubtedly means in war, the discussion showed that there are effective countermeasures. In the fight against disinformation and narratives, a great contribution can already be made through more fact-based information about the war in the space of information.

The full-length publication is available in German only. If you have questions, please contact us.