An extensive research aimed at assessing national vulnerabilities and preparedness to adequately react to foreign-led disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe.
Publication Date: July 2018
Research and Editorial Team: Eurasian States in Transition Research Center (EAST Center) – Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”
Link: DRI – Disinformation Resilience in Central and Eastern Europe
This digest has been produced by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) in cooperation with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).
An integral part of the research is the Disinformation Resilience Index, which is quantitative assessment of exposure to Kremlin-led disinformation and the level of national resilience to disinformation campaigns.
While the report centers on Kremlin-led information invasions, it in many respects reveals the ability to resist any foreign backed information influence. However, the research reveals key findings:
- Elderly and national minorities are considered to be the most vulnerable groups for Kremlin-led propaganda and disinformation;
- Russian language-speaking minorities are especially vulnerable;
- Active followers of Orthodox Christian church are also in the group among the most susceptible to propaganda. For example, in Moldova, the church enjoys the highest level of trust in among all social institutions;
- Supporters of far-right social and political movements are a very important group easily susceptible to pro-Kremlin disinformation usage and popularity of Russian-language media platforms heavily determines the degree of population exposure to Kremlin-led messages;
- Media self-regulatory mechanisms are revealed to be most ineffective in the Central European region;
- Experts positively assess the role of civil society in withstanding foreign-triggered disinformation and manipulation campaigns and others.
The Index presents individual country analysis and profiles, including recommendations, on the topics of media literacy, digital debunking, institutional setup, legal regulations, and vulnerable groups.
The countries covered by the Index are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine.
The article was republished from European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).
