The first regional report on the state of disinformation in the Southeast Europe / Western Balkans gives a comprehensive overview of trends and phenomena observed by fact-checking newsrooms and the activities undertaken to fight disinformation in the region.
The report on state of disinformation in the SEE region gives a broad and detailed insight into most relevant aspects of information disorder in the region up to and including 2023. The regional report focuses on the four countries in SEE – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, but also provides an overview of the information environment in the region as a whole.
The report provides information on most prominent disinformation narratives present in the region, as well as their broader frames, metanarratives and paradigms that shape their relevant contexts. Some of these include global-scale conspiracy theories, many of which are present across the globe, but, just like some of the prominent regional and country specific narratives, are predominantly shaped within an anti-Western paradigm actively supported and utilized by the Russian state propaganda – especially since the 2022 full-scale invasion on Ukraine.
Antiscience metanarrative, especially the antivaccination disinformation and conspiracy theories, are still omnipresent in the region, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. Climate science denial is, however, found to be on the rise in recent years. When it comes to disinformation specific to the region, especially the BCS speaking countries, the most active sources of false and misleading information and disinformation narratives fused with political propaganda, are found in Serbian tabloids, whose influence is felt far beyond their country borders.
The report gives an overview not just of political, but also other defining influences which shape the media, information and disinformation landscape in the region. It shows how the economic factors in the region, together with the development of the online media markets and advertisement models created by large online platforms, have influenced not only the quality of information found in online media, but also helped create new “markets” for various fraudulent schemes, praying particularly on online users with low information literacy. Moreover, it provides insight not just into the current events that instigated the spread of disinformation in the recent years, but also the historic and recurring events that are known to more or less regularly trigger such occurrences.
The report gives a comprehensive overview of the actors that instigate, create, spread and amplify disinformation in the region, as well as the tactics and techniques they use to do that, ranging from those whose primary motives are political or ideological, to those used to build “hybrid models” seen in many of the most popular tabloids, to those used exclusively in “for-profit” disinformation and online scams. Additionally, some of the tactics used to create and spread disinformation are also used in direct attempts to suppress fact-checking. The report provides an overview of such tactics, as well as all the efforts being made in the region to stand up to disinformation. The “antidisinformation update” section also reads as a useful list of research, analysis and events dedicated to the fight against disinformation, building resilience and strengthening information integrity and literacy, providing a thorough insight into fact-checking initiatives, collaborations and partnerships in the region. The report’s “register” is completed with an overview of relevant legislation in these fields.
The report is published within the project “SEE Check Network – Fighting Disinformation and Misinformation Through a Network of Fact-checkers” funded by the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author(s), and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Read the full report here.
