In this conversation, Javier Luque (IPI) and Tajana Broz (Faktograf) discuss the launch of Faktograf’s Climate Portal and the subsequent coordinated disinformation campaign against it -Read the full report: Operation “Grinning Squinting Face”: Attacks on the Climate Portal Hidden Behind a Smiling Face. Tajana shares insights into the nature of these attacks, the role of social media, and the ecosystem of disinformation actors. They explore Faktograf’s response, including new moderation strategies, and emphasize the importance of protecting journalists in a hostile environment.
The discussion highlights the ongoing challenges faced by climate journalism and the need for resilience against disinformation:
- Disinformation campaigns are often preemptive and target funding sources.
- The backlash often include trolling, ridicule, and threats against the journalists.
- There are three main narratives used against the media: censorship, public funding misuse, and climate science denial.
- The same disinformation actors from the pandemic have shifted focus to climate issues.
- The ecosystem of disinformation is resilient and interconnected.
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In this episode:
- Guest: Tajana Broz, Programe Coordinator at Faktograf and author of the investigation.
- Producer & Host: Javier Luque, head of digital media and online safety at IPI.
Related links mentioned in the episode:
- The Observatory of Disinformation Narratives Against the Media
- IPI-led Decoding Disinformation project
Other episodes in this series:
Season 3
Episode 1: Climate journalism and disinformation: The floods in Valencia
Episode 2: The silent storm: Environmental journalism in Italy
Episode 3: Operation “Grinning Squinting Face”: Attacks on Faktograf’s Climate portal
Episode 4: Weather forecasts under fire: Attacks against science-based climate reporting
Season 2
Episode 1: How Austria’s far right sows distrust in media
Episode 2: France at tilting point as journalists face far-right disinfo attacks
Episode 3: A perfect storm: Climate journalism under attack in Croatia
Episode 4: Operation Overload: Draining fact-checkers’ resources
Season 1
Episode 2: How journalists investigate the far right
Episode 3: Fact-checkers targeted by populists in Europe
Episode 4: When disinformation campaigns fuel hate and harassment
Episode 5: Alexander Roth – Smeared and threatened by the far-right next door
Episode 6: Franziska Tschinderle – Attacked by Orbán’s state media
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This podcast series is part of the project Decoding the disinformation playbook of populism in Europe, which is supported by the European Media and Information Fund, managed by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Disclaimer:
The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.