Facts not Fakes: Tackling Disinformation, Strengthening Information Integrity
Rising disinformation has far-reaching consequences in many policy areas ranging from public health to national security. It can cast doubt on factual evidence, jeopardise the implementation of public policies and undermine people's trust in the integrity of democratic institutions. This report explores how to respond to these challenges and reinforce democracy. It presents an analytical framework to guide countries in the design of policies, looking at three complementary dimensions: implementing policies to enhance the transparency, accountability, and plurality of information sources; fostering societal resilience to disinformation; and upgrading governance measures and public institutions to uphold the integrity of the information space.
Introduction: Toward a comprehensive framework for countering disinformation and reinforcing information integrity
This introduction provides an overview of the challenges that mis- and disinformation pose to democracies, while flagging the need for government responses to focus on promoting integrity in the information ecosystem rather than on content. It lays out a policy framework for promoting transparent, accountable, and plural sources of information; strengthening societal resilience and relying on all actors of society; and upgrading governance measures and institutional architecture to respond to the need to reinforce information integrity.