How would you describe the mission and expertise of the European Parliament in the field of countering disinformation?
European Parliament shapes the legislative framework to counter disinformation and fake news by enabling a safe and open digital environment.
What are the main resources developed by the EP you’d be willing to share?
I’d like to recommend researches and publications elaborated by European Parliament’s think tank that can be found at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/home.html?publicationType=AT_A_GLANCE
Which are, in your opinion, the three biggest current challenges related to countering disinformation?
Strong polarisation of public debate, non-objective reporting and uncontrolled growth of digital platforms.
Could you name three solutions how to counter disinformation, strengthen societies’ critical thinking skills and build civil resilience to disinformation?
Better protect whistleblowers, question and check the source of information and improve digital literacy.
What are the top three events or dates you have witnessed this year that have caused an intensification of disinformation activities?
That would definitely be coronavirus, vaccines and elections.
In your opinion, which future three dates/events are likely to bring about the intensification of disinformation activities in 2020-2021?
Here again I have to mention coronavirus, vaccines and elections.
Have you been relying on any fact-checking tools?
I would mention here Google Fact Check Explorer, where we can search fact check results from the web about a topic or person: https://toolbox.google.com/factcheck/explorer
Would you like to highlight any of the disinformation cases you have witnessed?
Disinformation concerning the use of the EU funds, particularly the Recovery Plan.
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?
Whistleblowers – they expose relevant information that otherwise would stay hidden, often, to their own risk.
Interview from March, 2021.
LEO BUDICIN
European Parliament Member’s Cabinet
Reliable, analytic, result-oriented
JUDITA AKROMIENE