Recommendations and policies (Part Three)

Context

False notions of balance and neutrality have become tools of manipulation, often substituting genuine objectivity and ethical journalism. When media, civil society organizations (CSOs), and think-tanks embrace these misleading concepts, they create space for disinformation and malign influences to spread unchecked. This concept of “false balance” manifests when media outlets present opposing viewpoints in an attempt to appear objective, but in doing so, they unintentionally grant equal weight to harmful, false, or extremist views. For example, in the context of global conflicts such as Russia’s war against Ukraine, some outlets have treated unsubstantiated Russian claims and narratives or state-backed war propaganda as legitimate points of view, thereby presenting a distorted image of the situation. This undermines the public’s ability to discern fact from fiction and clouds the line between truth and manipulation.

Furthermore, the widespread embrace of false balance contributes to the normalization of extremist and fringe ideologies. By providing equal coverage to misinformation and disinformation alongside verified facts, media outlets inadvertently validate harmful rhetoric, making it harder for citizens to distinguish between credible sources and those with ulterior motives. This approach diminishes trust in professional journalism, as it places legitimate voices of dissent on the same platform as harmful and unverified claims. Ultimately, this creates an environment where the truth is obscured, and public opinion becomes increasingly susceptible to disinformation campaigns. Instead of embracing neutrality at the expense of facts, objectivity must be reaffirmed as a commitment to integrity, transparency, and the defense of democratic values.

To effectively counter the growing wave of disinformation, it is essential to adopt a more principled approach to media reporting and civil society engagement. Civil society and media actors must reject the misguided notion of false balance and prioritize factual accuracy and accountability. This means rejecting the false equivalence between legitimate criticism and harmful propaganda, ensuring that all claims are scrutinized against verified evidence. Only by restoring a commitment to truth and ethical journalism can democratic institutions and processes be safeguarded against the rising tide of authoritarianism, extremism, and manipulation.

Recommendations

Empower civil society and media actors: Civil society and media actors with expertise in countering foreign malign influences and hybrid threats must be empowered to share their knowledge, methodologies, and training with other organizations and media outlets to strengthen democratic resilience.

For example, organizations that have successfully countered Russian disinformation in Eastern Europe could collaborate with counterparts in other regions and across Europe and beyond facing similar challenges, providing training on identifying and debunking false narratives.

Reform funding strategies: Donor communities must rethink their funding strategies to ensure that support reaches organizations that are truly committed to democratic

principles. This includes ensuring that funds are directed toward independent media outlets and CSOs that focus on fact-based reporting and uphold democratic values, rather than those that produce superficial or artificial outputs. A commitment to transparency and accountability in funding would be critical to avoid inadvertently legitimizing harmful narratives or organizations that undermine democracy.

One of the crucial steps would be shifting funding from organizations that propagate false balance to those committed to fact-checking and media literacy initiatives.

Reject false balance and reinforce democratic frameworks: By rejecting manipulative notions of false balance and neutrality, civil society and media can become more effective in defending democracy and truth. Media outlets must adopt clear ethical standards that prioritize accuracy and integrity over perceived neutrality. This can be achieved by setting editorial guidelines that explicitly reject false equivalence in reporting.

Since the 2022 Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some media outlets in Western countries presented Russian state propaganda as legitimate viewpoints, creating a misleading “balance.” Instead, such outlets must prioritize verified information and critically examine all sources to avoid enabling manipulation.

Promote media literacy and critical thinking: It is crucial to foster media literacy programs at a wide scale to educate the public on how to discern credible information from misinformation. These programs should be integrated into school curricula, workplace training, and public awareness campaigns, with a focus on recognizing disinformation and understanding its impact on democratic processes. Educational initiatives that specifically address the methods of hybrid warfare and propaganda can equip individuals with the tools they need to critically evaluate news sources and resist malicious influence.

Given the global nature of disinformation campaigns, international collaboration is necessary to combat the spread of harmful narratives. Civil society, media organizations, and governments should create platforms for sharing best practices and coordinating efforts to combat propaganda, such as through international coalitions of fact-checkers, independent journalists, and digital security experts. This could also include supporting the creation of cross-border initiatives that enable real-time sharing of information about malign influence operations and media manipulation.

Concrete Steps, Measures, and Actions

1. Strengthening the Role of Media and Civil Society in Countering Disinformation

· Reject false balance and neutrality by reaffirming objectivity as a commitment to truth, professional ethics, and fact-based reporting.

· Develop and promote ethical journalism standards that actively counter disinformation while upholding accuracy and fairness.

· Expose and discredit malign narratives through investigative journalism, fact-checking initiatives, and strategic counter-disinformation campaigns.

· Encourage collaboration between media and civil society to develop training programs that enhance skills in identifying and debunking false narratives.

· Utilize new technologies such as AI and machine learning to identify and combat emerging forms of disinformation and hybrid threats.

· Support media literacy programs that equip citizens with tools to critically engage with digital content and identify manipulated narratives.

2. Reforming Donor Engagement and Support for Civil Society and Med

· Prioritize funding for organizations with a proven track record and a genuine commitment to combating disinformation, hybrid threats, and malign foreign influence.

· Ensure inclusivity in funding decisions by recognizing organizations that actively address historical oppression and conflicts rather than those that reinforce false neutrality.

· Establish accountability mechanisms for donor-funded projects to prevent artificial outputs and ensure real impact in countering disinformation.

· Develop funding criteria that recognize authenticity, impact, and ethical standards in civil society and media initiatives.

· Promote long-term sustainable funding models for civil society organizations to ensure that counter-disinformation efforts are not short-lived but contribute to lasting democratic resilience.

· Support cross-sector partnerships that involve governments, international bodies, and private sectors in funding and implementing counter-disinformation initiatives.

3. Enhancing Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building

· Support civil society and media experts in developing methodologies, toolkits, and training programs to counter hybrid threats.

· Facilitate cross-border knowledge exchange among organizations experienced in countering malign influences.

· Encourage the creation of specialized research hubs and think tanks dedicated to studying and combating hybrid threats.

· Promote partnerships between academia, civil society, and media to develop data-driven approaches to counter disinformation.

· Develop and integrate regional and global networks of experts and practitioners dedicated to sharing best practices and resources for combating disinformation.

· Support the creation of digital platforms for real-time sharing of research, best practices, and case studies on countering hybrid threats.

Authoritarian tendencies are on the rise – the time to act is now: Introduction to the key policy document of the global initiative “Defending Democracy”

Defending Democracy: Recommendations and Policies – Building Cross-Party and Societal Alliances

Defending Democracy: Rebuilding trust in democratic institutions and processes