Disinformation about migration is increasingly being employed to disrupt and sow divisions in Europe. Across the EU, myths about the number of migrant arrivals, their economic impact, or their propensity for crime are strategically promoted and exploited to influence public opinion, with serious political implications. The response to disinformation by EU bodies and member state governments so far has largely focused on technical measures, seeking to reduce the spread of misleading content on social media and remove fake and automated accounts.
These techniques have had only limited impact. Responding to today’s sophisticated and coordinated disinformation narratives requires not only content moderation and fact-checking, but compelling new narratives: as disinformation actors attempt to shape general attitudes to a given subject area, it is imperative that the EU is able to defend what it stands for and promote its values rather than letting radicals set the agenda and tone of the debate.
Against this background, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, the European Policy Centre, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Fundación Pablo Iglesias have launched the project ‘Disinformation about migration in the EU: promoting alternative narratives’.
By mapping existing disinformation strategies in the field of migration, and determining the challenges involved in addressing them, it will seek to provide targeted recommendations for favourable new narratives. It will focus on four EU member states – Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic – with the aim of determining disinformation trends and messages that are echoed across the EU. The project includes a strong dialogue-oriented component, bringing together experts and key communication officials from EU institutions, NGOs, and civil society. A resulting two-author publication will be published by the end of 2020.