Funding must be agile to respond to evolving disinformation landscape
Independent journalism and civil society are under growing financial strain, while advances in AI have accelerated global disinformation, fuelling conflict, threatening democracy and human rights, and disrupting efforts in public health and climate action.
Information integrity is vital to economic stability, democratic security and civic cohesion. Despite the clear and present danger posed by disinformation, current EU and national funding mechanisms do not adequately prioritise or strategically allocate resources to counter this threat.
RNW Media – as an international media development organisation based in the Netherlands – draws on more than 75 years of global experience lead action through a joint statement, supported by 49 organisation and thought leaders, offering practical recommendations to build resilient, rights-based information ecosystems.
We believe Europe has a unique opportunity to sustain public funding mechanisms that uphold information integrity. The European Union has played a key role in shaping the global information landscape through regulation, but without decisive action, the consequences will ripple far beyond Europe, especially in the Global South
The joint statement, published on our website, ‘Prioritising funding for information integrity in the EU and beyond’, includes some key demands, to:
- significantly increase and dedicate funding: allocate specific funding within the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and national budgets to initiatives focused on information integrity, independent journalism and civil society organisations actively countering disinformation
- integrate disinformation countermeasures across all policy areas: recognise that disinformation impacts all policy domains from climate action to public health – and crucially, economic and societal stability – and integrate robust countermeasures and funding streams into relevant sectoral strategies and programmes
- foster cross-sectoral, multistakeholder collaboration and innovation: expand the promotion and fund collaborative efforts between governments, civil society, media organisations, academia and technology companies to develop innovative solutions and share best practices in combating disinformation
- strengthen global partnerships: support initiatives that extend beyond EU borders, recognising that disinformation is a global challenge. Leverage frameworks like Global Gateway to bolster information integrity in partner countries, particularly in global-majority regions, recognising the interconnectedness of global information environments, and
- ensure flexibility and responsiveness in funding: create funding mechanisms that are agile enough to respond to the rapidly evolving landscape of disinformation, including the emergence of new AI-driven threats identified by journalists as a major concern
RNW Media, together with its partners, will now engage with EU policymakers to advocate for this dedicated funding.
African partners include:
- Umuzi News
- Radio Nigeria
- the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation
- CDS Egypt
- Association des Blogueur du Bénin
- The Zimbabwe Independent
- the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, and the
- Rwanda Journalists Association
If you or your organisation would like to sign the joint statement, please e-mail our Advocacy Manager at [email protected]
Read the full joint statement and list of endorsers, here
