From the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to climate catastrophes and the elections in Germany, the US and at European level: The recent past was shaped by occasions with huge capacity for disinformation. To counteract the dissemination of such disinformation, GADMO– an alliance in between the Institute of Journalism and the Department of Statistics at TU Dortmund University, the fact-checking editorial groups at the German Press Company (dpa), Agence France-Presse (AFP), Austria Press Company (APA) and CORRECTIV, in addition to AIT Austrian Institute of Innovation– has actually been teaming up for almost 3 years. GADMO is part of the Europe-wide “European Digital Media Observatory” (EDMO), which is moneyed by the European Commission and covers all 27 EU member states and Norway.
Know what’s fact
Because its launch, GADMO has developed itself as the first port of call for reality checks and scientific analysis in the location of disinformation. Amongst the milestones achieved so far are a substantial online reality inspect archive with more than 3,800 articles. Every month, around a hundred brand-new truth checks are included that assistance users to expose incorrect assertions. The GADMO team likewise offers video training courses for various target groups: Young people learn the essentials, i.e. how to distinguish between disinformation and dependable sources, while media professionals get more extensive support with analyzing AI-generated content and utilizing digital research study tools.
GADMO has actually introduced the 2nd phase of the task under the brand-new slogan “Know what’s fact”. In addition to standard fact-checking, the focus will now shift to investigative research study, scientific analysis, and media literacy offerings for moms and dads and older target groups. The new “GADMO Brief” format will feature a regular monthly examination of the work of all licensed German-language fact-checking companies. The results of the joint work will be revealed on a devoted Instagram channel. “With the largest German-language fact-checking center and brand-new formats such as the GADMO Short, the network is showing how powerful cooperation can be,” states Teresa Dapp, head of the dpa’s fact-checking team. “In the next phase of the job, we wish to reach much more people– on the channels that are relevant to them.” In the location of media literacy, the team at the Institute for Journalism will examine existing programs to figure out whether they appropriate for instructor training students and for usage in school lessons. In addition, the IJ group will curate the materials, translate them if necessary, and prepare them in such a way that teachers can easily use them in class.
Positive interim result regardless of challenges
After the first financing duration, the GADMO team can report a favorable interim outcome. It is, nevertheless, worried about existing advancements, especially at large tech companies such as Meta, as the termination of the fact-checking program in the US could potentially have an influence on Europe also. “In the shape of GADMO, we have actually successfully produced a number of outputs to combat disinformation campaigns– a website with numerous reality checks, media literacy products and research study results with a strong practical focus. We are especially delighted about the numerous synergies we have actually been able to harness in cooperation with our partners. At the same time, truth checkers are currently under incredible pressure and exposed to attacks– something we discover really worrying,” states Professor Christina Elmer from the Institute of Journalism, the coordinator of the GADMO task. “In research, too, we still face significant challenges– for example, when it refers accessing and analyzing platform data. This makes it even more essential for us to be able to continue with GADMO and carry on marketing together for fact-based social discourse in the digital space.”
The GADMO team was especially active around the time of elections. In 2024, the “incredibly election year” that saw the European elections and elections in 3 of Germany’s federal states, a GADMO Report critically analyzed how large platform operators, who had actually signed a statement of dedication as part of the Code of Practice, dealt with politically motivated disinformation. Regardless of the measures announced, particularly in view of the elections, there was evidence of politically encouraged deepfakes and canvassing that was not labeled as such. Prior to Germany’s federal elections in February, GADMO published a weekly newsletter on the flow of fake news, which reached around 4,000 customers and highlighted, to name a few problems, repeating stories such as accusations of election rigging.
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