How would you describe the mission and expertise of your organization in the field of media literacy/ critical thinking/ fact checking/ countering disinformation?
CyberDefence24.pl is an extraordinary platform, which combines the work of a news portal and a think-thank by providing detailed analysis and comments from experts. We deliver daily content about the detected information operations, changes in social media policy and work of the European Union. What is more, we prepare guides about the most popular fake news on COVID-19 and 5G.
What are the main resources developed by your organization you’d be willing to share?
These are the examples of our work translated into English:
- https://www.cyberdefence24.pl/bezpieczenstwo-informacyjne/virtual-pandemic-is-internet-virus-more-dangerous-than-the-real-one
- https://www.cyberdefence24.pl/bezpieczenstwo-informacyjne/polanda-testing-ground-for-information-warfare
- https://www.cyberdefence24.pl/bezpieczenstwo-informacyjne/polish-war-studies-university-under-information-attack-the-attempt-to-deteriorate-polish-american-alliance
Which are, in your opinion, the three biggest current challenges related to countering disinformation in your country?
The policymakers do not understand this problem and underestimate the threat. What is more, they are often the source of disinformation, likewise the public media, which should act as a reliable source of information – not a propaganda actor.
Could you name three solutions that you implemented or else want to recommend as an advice how to counter disinformation, strengthen societies’ critical thinking skills and build civil resilience to disinformation?
Reform of public media; strong regulations regarding social media platforms with significant financial penalties; and introducing media literacy into school curriculum.
What are the top three events or dates you have witnessed this year that have caused an intensification of disinformation activities?
The falsification of elections in Belarus and protests which followed up; the start of COVID-19 pandemic; and the rotation of NATO troops.
In your opinion, which future three dates/events are likely to bring about the intensification of disinformation activities in 2020-2021?
On the international scene we can expect growing disinformation activities around the American presidential elections. It is difficult to forecast their intensification, however, more disinformation campaigns are likely to appear using more sophisticated techniques. Last but not least, all the political tensions and incidents will be reflected in disinformation activities spike.
What are the prevailing disinformation narratives you have observed in the media space this year.
Narratives regarding COVID-19; 5G discussion; and NATO troops in Poland.
Have you been relying on any fact-checking tools? If yes, please describe them or share the links.
No. I use Google searcher and consult fact-checking portals.
Would you like to highlight any of the disinformation cases you have witnessed/ discovered/ debunked?
We discovered an information operation against American troops deployed in Orzysz, and also debunked the information operation against the National Defence University of Warsaw, as well as a bunch of fake news about COVID-19.
In your opinion, who are the best performing actors – in your country, as well as in the EU – playing crucial roles in the field of media literacy today and why?
The best performing actors in Poland are think-thanks, which with limited resources are doing a tremendous work. In the EU there is a positive European Commission’s initiative: EuvsDisinfo.
ANDRZEJ KOZŁOWSKI
Editor-in-Chief of CyberDefence24.pl
Meticulous, ambitious, stress resistant
