New sanctions framework against the responsible for destabilising activities against the EU

The European Council established a new framework for restrictive measures in response to Russia’s destabilising actions abroad. [+]

Civic Caravan Report: A civic engagement and media literacy journey across Romania

Funky Citizens organization launched a civic and media education tour called the "Civic Caravan" ahead of Romania’s 2024 elections, aiming to engage young people in responsible civic life and online information literacy. Visiting over 20 communities, including both urban and rural areas, the Caravan sparked debates on civic responsibility, fact-checking, and combating disinformation. Key initiatives, such as fact-checking marathons in universities and the "Fake News. Following the Lies" exhibition, were designed to train young people in critical thinking and media literacy, empowering them to navigate the digital landscape responsibly. As Romania faces a rising risk of democratic backsliding, these efforts highlight the importance of being informed, ensuring citizens make conscious, informed decisions. This initiative not only fosters informed civic participation but also establishes a foundation for long-term engagement and media education across the country. [+]

BROD collaborates with Moldovan partners on upcoming elections in Chișinău

The Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital media BROD collaborates with Moldovan partners on upcoming elections in Chișinău.

Elena Calistru from Funky Citizens will coordinate the fact-checking aspect and Keith Kiely from GATE Institute in Sofia will handle the comparative research.

During a technical workshop in September, European Commission staff and Moldovan authorities conducted a threat assessment and election readiness exercise with online platforms, Moldovan civil society organisations, fact-checkers and independent media. Several online platforms agreed on the implementation of a temporary escalation mechanism ahead of Moldova’s presidential elections and national referendum about the EU membership on 20 October. [+]

Harnessing AI for Better Journalism. BROD presented at MEDIAiBiH, Sarajevo

BROD work was presented at the conference on Artificial Intelligence in the Information and Media System of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MEDIAiBiH) [+]

Global Media and Information Literacy Week

Global Media and Information Literacy Week is an annual event observed from 24^th to 31^st October to raise awareness and celebrate the progress achieved towards Media and Information Literacy for all. [+]

In Ruse: Free Media and Digital Literacy Training for Adults 55+

Tsvetelina Stefanova, a contributor of BRODhub, was one of the organisers of the Free Media and Digital Literacy Training for Adults 55+ in Ruse University Angel Kanchev University of Ruse. The target group is users above 55 years old. [+]

EDMO elections 2024 taskforce group final report

Quoted by international media, trusted by EU institutions, nurtured by the European communities of fact-checkers, media literacy experts, and researchers, the EDMO Task Force on EU Elections 2024 has been a successful endeavor to monitor and counter disinformation ahead of the vote. Its work was built relying on the efforts of over 50 independent fact-checking organizations, part of the EDMO fact-checking network, and 14 EDMO hubs monitoring the disinformation at the local level. [+]

Building Information Space Resilience in Southeast Europe and the Black Sea Region 7 – 9 November 2024

GATE institute, the coordinator of BRODhub, is a coorganiser of forum against disinformation, in Sofia. [+]

EUI training in Sofia

Dr Sharon McCulloch of the EUI Widening Europe Programme presented a series of trainings at GATE Institute, Sofia University St. Climent Ohridsky. [+]

TACKLING DISINFORMATION AND INFORMATION MANIPULATION

Democracy is one of the fundamental values of our European Union. It is at the heart of our open and transparent societies. In the European Union, citizens can freely express their views, participate in democratic life, and choose their political representatives.
However, false information has increased in recent years and can affect various aspects of our lives: health, public security, trust in democracy, climate and the environment, migration and fundamental rights and values that underpin our societies. [+]

The attitudes in Bulgaria before the elections (CSD-BROD survey)

If we do not all go out and vote on Sunday, we will directly influence the election results, and not in the direction we would all like the European Union to develop, because we will let others decide for us the future of power in Europe. This is what Yordanka Chobanova - Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria said. She took part in the presentation of a study by the Center for the Study of Democracy. The study is part of the work of Bulgarian-Romanian Digital Media Observatory BROD. [+]

BROD Representatives in the Spotlight at the Media Literacy Conference 2024 - The Superpower of Tomorrow’s Teachers

The change that teachers who turn media literacy into a resource bring about was the topic of the third edition of the media literacy conference organised by the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) on 18 May in Bucharest. The event brought together teachers from the CIJ's Media Literacy Programme, representatives of authorities, as well as locally and internationally acknowledged media literacy experts, including members of the EDMO hub, BROD, and Renee Hobbs, founder of the Media Education Lab. [+]

Mădălina Boțan on information and disinformation during electoral campaigns at the CIJ’s podcast

Mădălina Boțan is a researcher within the BROD project (Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media) and a PhD lecturer at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Faculty of Communication. On the eve of the elections, she was invited to the Media Literacy Lab, the podcast of the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), to share her insights on information and disinformation during election campaigns. [+]

What are the key narratives seen by AFP fact-checking service in Bulgarian?

That is one of the questions AFP Fact Checker Rossen Bossev did address during a Conference titled
‘Countering Disinformation and Promoting Media Literacy’ co-organised by French and German
embassies to Bulgaria on April 22, 2024. [+]

A framework for the establishment of the EU Hybrid Rapid Response Teams

The Council of EU approved the guiding framework for the practical establishment of the EU Hybrid Rapid Response Teams. This paves the way for such teams to be deployed upon request, to prepare against and counter hybrid threats and campaigns. [+]

Hubs represented in EDMO week in Brussels'24

EDMO week continues in Brussels with the focus moving from the general conference to a meeting of the EDMO network of hubs representatives from across Europe. BRODhub is represented by Madalina Botan from Scoala Nationala de Studii Politice si Administrative (SNSPA) and Scientific coordinator of BROD Keith Peter Kiely from GATE Institute, Sofia University. [+]

2024 EDMO Annual Conference, BROD represented

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Media Literacy Conference 2024 - The Superpower of Tomorrow's Teachers

The Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has the pleasure to invite you to the Media Literacy Conference 2024 - The Superpower of Tomorrow's Teachers, which will take place on 18 May 2024, at Sheraton Hotel in Bucharest. The third edition of the Media Literacy Conference is a full day event, starting at 09:00 AM. [+]

BROD presented at Symposium of Union de la Presse Francophone

The Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media BROD was presented at the symposium of the Presse Francophone in Bucharest. [+]

BROD data presented at the Romanian-American workshop “Challenges for Democracy: Exploring the Intersection of Journalism and Elections”

Between April 3rd and April 4th, the Communication Research Center of the Faculty of Communication and Public Relations within the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA) organized the 12th edition of the Romanian-American Workshop, in partnership with the Cox Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research at the University of Georgia (USA). Prof. Nicoleta Corbu and Assoc. Prof. Madalina Botan, as representatives of BROD, delivered interventions on the risks of electoral disinformation, the role of technological platforms in minimizing these risks, and the responsibility of all actors involved in regulating the media ecosystem in the electoral context. [+]

EU vote: viral post by Bulgarian politician misquotes migration study stats (VIDEO)

AFP with video debunk! Misinformation regarding Bulgaria's asylum rankings in the EU spread on social media after Austria agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania join the Schengen area of free movement by air and sea borders in exchange for stepping up the fight against illegal immigration [+]

AFP and EuroActiv: Anti-migrant misinformation floods Bulgaria ahead of Schengen entry

Euractiv.com with AFP with analysis about the anti-migrant misinformation in Bulgaria. [+]

New Cybersecurity compendium on the integrity of elections

The Member States, with the support of the Commission and ENISA, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity, have published a new compendium on how to protect the integrity of elections from a cybersecurity perspective. [+]

BROD with a presentation at the EDMO scientific conference at the University of Amsterdam

The Bulgarian-Romanian Digital Observatory of Digital Media (BROD) is presented at the EDMO scientific conference at the University of Amsterdam. Nicoleta Corbu, Dan Sultănescu and Madalina Botan from National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Todor Galev from Center for the Study of Democracy, the scientific coordinator of BROD Keith Kiely, Andy Stoycheff from NTCenter and Patrik Szicherle from GLOBSEC have a paper, named Effects of disinformation about the accession to the Schengen area in Bulgaria and Romania. [+]

Media literacy matters! Strong presence of BRODhub at the conference in Brussels

The European Digital and Media Literacy Conference in Brussels puts the many faces of digital and media literacy in the European spotlight during the Belgian EU presidency. [+]

Big Tech signs accord to combat AI-generated election disinformation

Major technology companies signed a pact on Friday to voluntarily adopt "reasonable precautions" to prevent artificial intelligence (AI) tools from being used to disrupt democratic elections around the world, announced AP. The document is A Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections. [+]

Anti-disinformation bill proposed for discussion in Bulgarian Parliament

A number of measures to limit the risks of disinformation campaigns are envisaged by the draft law for amendments to the Electronic Communications Act prepared by the democratic groups in Bulgaria. [+]

European Commission presented new initiatives for digital infrastructures

European Commission announced a set of possible actions to foster the innovation, security and resilience of digital infrastructures. The future competitiveness of Europe's economy depends on these advanced digital network infrastructures and services, since fast, secure, and widespread connectivity is essential for the deployment of the technologies that will bring us into tomorrow's world: telemedicine, automated driving, predictive maintenance of buildings, or precision agriculture. [+]

Keith Kiely is elected as a Member of the EDMO Executive Board

Keith Peter Kiely PhD is elected as a Member of the Executive Board – Hubs representative (BROD), [+]

Discussion about the monitoring and the evaluating of the Code of Practice on Disinfomation in Sofia

Genuine discussion on VLOP's implementation of the Code of Practice on Disinformation (CoP) in Bulgaria and Romania was part in the frame of the third GATE Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Forum (BDAIF2023).  [+]

Webinar of Read Twice goes beyond the headlines

The phenomenon of spreading disinformation was discussed at practice-oriented webinar “Beyond the Headlines: Tools and Skills to Detect Disinfo in the News”, organized by Euro Advance Association as part of the pan-European Read Twice (R2) project. Experienced researcher from the GATE Institute and Coordinator of research in BROD, Dr. Keith Kiely presented two case studies, offering insights into the dynamics within Bulgarian society which enable the spread of disinformation narratives. [+]

EVALUATING THE CODE OF PRACTICE - part of GATE Institute Annual Event 2023

Evaluating the Code of Practice on Disinformation in Bulgaria and Romania will be the focus panel of the Grand Opening of the GATE Institute Building.

Our special guests are Paolo Cesarini, Programme Director for EDMO and EMIF and Madalina Botan from SNSPA, and we will have the pleasure to speak online with Paula Gori from EDMO and Kalina Bontcheva from University of Sheffield. Todor Galev from Center for the Study of Democracy, Bulgaria and Maria Koleva from BNT also will present their work as a partners of Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media BROD. [+]

BROD liaison document approved by Executive Board

BROD liaison document is approved by the EDMO Executive Board. Now, the Bulgarian-Romanian Digital Media Observatory can be seen as a legitimate and functioning part of the EDMO network. BROD is proud to contribute to the EDMO community in our collaborative efforts to tackle this seminal issue. [+]

Technologies against Disinformation 2.0, co-organized by BROD, gathered the best tech companies in Bulgaria

The conference "Technologies against Disinformation 2.0" brought together the best Bulgarian technology companies working against disinformation. [+]

BROD signed Memorandum of Understanding with HDMO

Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media BROD and the Hungarian Observatory of Digital Media HDMO signed a Memorandum of Understanding. [+]

Vera Jourova in Bulgaria, discussing disinformation issues

European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova, responsible values and transparency, upholding the rule of law in the European Union, as well as monitoring implementation of the Code of Practice, was in Sofia, invited by Balkan Constitutional Forum. [+]

Where is the Intersection of AI, Deepfake, and Disinformation: BROD presented at AI N’ CYBER CONFERENCE

Keith Kiely from BROD participated in the panel Global Propaganda Campaigns: Exploring the Intersection of AI, Deepfake, and Disinformation [+]

BROD at Dubrovnik Media Days 2023

The conference, organised by the University of Dubrovnik and the local ADMO Digital Media Observatory, has established itself as one of the leading in the Western Balkans. It opened with a discussion on priorities and perspectives in disinformation research. [+]

BROD presented at EDMO meeting in Dubrovnik

Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media BROD presented its achievements at the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) meeting of the fourteen EDMO Hubs in Dubrovnik on 28-29 September 2023. [+]

Bulgarian scientists analyse shortcomings in online platforms’ actions against disinformation

First analysis of the implementation of commitments under the Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation of Very Large Online Platforms (VLOP’s) & Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSE); Researchers warn about European elections 2024 [+]

European commission launches campaign dedicated to EURO

The European Commission in Bulgaria launched an information campaign dedicated to the common European currency, entitled #ЗаЕврото накратко: отговорите, които търсим (About the Euro in a Nutshell: the answers We Are Looking For). [+]

75 teachers from Romania, on their way to become Media Literacy teachers

75 teachers from 74 schools in Romania learn how to teach media literacy concepts to their students, within the Media Education Program, the largest program of this kind from Romania, carried out by the Center for Independent Journalism. Teachers benefit from free training in order to acquire media literacy skills and learn methods that would help the students become responsible citizens, resilient in the face of disinformation. [+]

Two BROD researchers are part of the EDMO Expert Group on Structural Indicators for the Code of Practice on Disinformation

Raluca Buturoiu and Nicoleta Corbu, two Romanian researchers and professors from the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), partner in the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media (BROD), were selected as Experts within the EDMO Expert Group on Structural Indicators for the Code of Practice on Disinformation. 

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First annual conference of the Bulgarian Coalition Against Disinformation Sofia with participation of BROD

One Year Wartime Disinformation – is Collective Resistance Possible? - that question was asked at the First annual conference of the Bulgarian Coalition Against Disinformation, held in Sofia on 27 April 2023. [+]