Austria has dealt with its fair share of disinformation and accusations of “fake news” amid two recent, highly divisive elections: a presidential election in 2016 and parliamentary elections in October 2017, both notable for the successes of traditional outlier parties. The former saw the triumph of the former head of the Green party, while the […]

In recent years the Czech Republic has seen the launch of a number of official and private initiatives aimed at counteracting the spread of disinformation or “fake news”. One of the first efforts to systematically debunk false information was Hate Free Culture, which was founded amid the refugee crisis of 2015. Hate Free Culture is […]

In the Czech Republic, what is known as “alternative” news has become a successful industry, supported by the public’s low trust in traditional media. While journalists and media experts in the country cautioned that clear distinctions must be made among false content, opinionated stories, clickbait and propaganda, they agreed that the situation had become more […]

When it comes to “fake news”, disinformation and hate speech, most media experts agree that a greater degree of media literacy and public trust in professional news media outlets are viable means to curb some of the most negative effects of the phenomenon. Last autumn, a project called Faktana, kiitos! – roughly translated as Facts, […]