OECD starts a Cross-Country Project to Build Information Integrity

The official start of the large-scale cross-country five-year project “Building Information Integrity” (Cross-Country Project to Build Information Integrity) was held in Sofia on 6 July. The event was led by Charles Baubion, analyst at the OECD Centre for Information Integrity in the Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Open Government Department. The forum brought together media regulators, experts and civil society representatives – Dr. Gabriela Naplatanova from the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), Iglika Ivanova – Chair of the Media Literacy Coalition, Dr. Maria Yurukova – organizer of DisinfoHack, BNT journalist and creator of the film Architects of Chaos Maya Ivanova and analyst at the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) Ruslan Stefanov.

Global threats to democracy and the role of regulators

The event highlighted that citizens today face an increasingly complex digital and traditional media environment. These processes often obscure and undermine public debates, while at the same time degrading the quality of information spaces and thus creating a fundamental risk to the functioning of democratic systems. Building on the official OECD Recommendation on Information Integrity, the five-year project aims to support six beneficiary countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Romania – in tackling information manipulation (including foreign interference), improving institutional capacity and strengthening inter-agency and international coordination. During the discussion, Dr. Naplatanova pointed out that the CEM is extremely committed to the fight against disinformation. The topic is central to both the Balkan Meeting of Media Regulators and the European Media Board, where best practices are actively exchanged. The Bulgarian and Italian regulators were highlighted as the first to launch a large-scale campaign in all languages, covering 500 electronic media outlets within the EU in 2024 for the European elections. In Bulgaria, the joint campaign of the CEM and the Ministry of Culture (MC) for media literacy has already been broadcast over 3,500 times on television and radio.

Beyond foreign interference: The problem with large platforms (VLOPs)

The participants in the meeting emphasized that the threat is not limited to disinformation from third countries. Ruslan Stefanov from the CID recalled that the processes that began back in 2014 show a radical transformation of the environment - the classic single information space practically no longer exists ("The information space is no more"). A serious problem is the way in which very large online platforms (VLOPs) distribute news, recalled Naplatanova. At the local level, it was noted that in Bulgaria Vbox7 remains the only large national video platform. In the context of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the European Platform of Regulators (EPRA) and the VEGA Directive (AVMSD), the key role of regulatory networks was highlighted. Regarding media convergence, Iglika Ivanova pointed out that our country is catching up with cultural trends, but issues of digital sovereignty and integrity remain critical.

Implementation gaps, capacity and institutional deficits

Dr. Maria Yurukova outlined the seriousness of the problem, giving the example of disinformation in critical sectors such as healthcare. Data from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) show that citizens in Bulgaria and Poland still demonstrate high levels of trust in information disseminated on social networks.

The experts outlined the following critical points facing our country:

Chronic capacity shortage: The lack of people and resources limits the possibilities for real capacity building. Therefore, a shift towards long-term media literacy is needed, including through networks such as the Bulgarian-Romanian Digital Media Observatory (BROD) to EDMO.

A problem with implementation, not law: The country already has a legal framework in place, having gone through an infringement procedure due to previous delays in legislation. However, the problem remains in effective implementation.

Lack of sustainability and coordination: The current entirely project-based working principle limits the long-term sustainability of coalitions against disinformation. There is a lack of an overall vision, a clear strategy and internal organization between institutions.

Crisis in journalism and protection of critical voices: In the discussion, Maya Ivanova emphasized that the media have not done enough for ordinary people. The problem is exacerbated by the lack of sufficiently trained journalists and the lack of developed networks to engage in investigative journalism. The absence of specialized training in OSINT (open source intelligence) for journalists was also noted.

Particular emphasis was placed on the lack of effective anti-SLAPP legislation (slap-in-the-face lawsuits against journals).

Dr. Maria Yurukova called for vigilance on this topic. It was pointed out that cases against critical voices, such as those of Rosen Bosev, Boris Mitov and Stefan Dechev, represent a direct attempt at intimidation, which is already becoming a matter of national security. Experts warned that the lack of trust in institutions is deliberately created, but is currently deepening dangerously, while state institutions continue to fail to react quickly enough.

Local solutions and a look ahead: AI and defense capabilities

With regard to dealing with the phenomenon of "journalistic deserts", Gabriela Naplatanova drew attention to the need for support for regional media.

Spaska Tarandova from the Global Libraries Foundation called on the state and organizations to use more actively the huge available resource of the library network in the country to reach people. In view of future challenges, it was noted that the development of media literacy, specifically oriented towards artificial intelligence (AI literacy), will be critical for the international assessment PISA 2029.

In the spirit of the OECD mission – "Better policies for better lives" – the main goal of the project is to provide quality information that allows citizens to make informed decisions.

In order to overcome the deficits, it is planned to introduce specific indicators for assessing different policies. In conclusion, Ruslan Stefanov suggested that the OECD consider the possibility of officially including information integrity as an important part of the national defense capabilities of countries.