Disinformation: European Commission, a 1.2 million call for proposals against fake news

Today, the European Commission issued a 1.2 million call for proposals to fight disinformation about Russia’s war against Ukraine, the election and the Lgbtq+ community, and to find out how it is spread on- and offline. This has been announced by the European Commission in a statement. The funded projects will also help understand how fake news are generated and what impact they have on people’s minds. As an addition to the work of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), the project will also have to “propose strategies and measures, future policies and new practices to support positive narratives and fight misleading and dangerous ones”. To take part in the call, applications may be submitted by September 22nd 2023. “The selected project is expected to start in September 2024”. The call is open to universities, research centres, NGOs, public authorities and other organisations. Such projects are part of the EU Commission’s action plan against disinformation and the EU vs Disinfo initiative. By the end of August, the big online platforms, in accordance with the Digital Services Act, “will have to carry out a first periodical risk assessment, which will cover the spread of disinformation and the improper use of their services”.
Valentina Bombelli