In Prague, researchers and fact-checking journalists launched on February 10 a center for combating misinformation in Central Europe. Funded by the European Union and coordinated by Charles University in Prague, the project also aims to educate the media in the region and develop artificial intelligence tools to detect false information.

EDMO is an independent observatory that brings together researchers and academics to fight disinformation. The eight existing national or multinational hubs cover Ireland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Norway. A new center for the fight against disinformation in Central Europe has just been created which will interact and coordinate with it: CEDMO.

The Central European Digital Media Observatory CEDMO

CEDMO seeks to become a relevant actor for the media education community in Central Europe, which is particularly vulnerable to disinformation due to the low level of education within the media and which would be targeted by pro-Russian disinformation. An independent multidisciplinary hub, CEDMO brings together professional verifiers, researchers, AI specialists and media literacy experts united by a common goal: to provide the public and governments with the necessary means to verify information and counter disinformation in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Vaclav Moravec, project coordinator said:

“Our goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary and international cooperation to support regional resilience, social cohesion, well-being and democracy in our countries.”

Coordinated by Charles University in Prague, the project includes AFP, a leader in fact-checking, the Polish SWPS University, the Czech Technical University, the Slovak Kempelen Institute of Smart Technologies and Saints Cyril and Methodius University are also involved. Martin Solik, assistant professor at Saints Cyril and Methodius University, said:

“CEDMO is an excellent opportunity to connect theoretical concepts and research results into practice.”

Educating the media and developing AI tools to combat misinformation

A key feature of the CEDMO project is the use of artificial intelligence to map and detect the spread of misinformation. This project aims to strengthen digital and media literacy and ultimately enable national authorities and regulators as well as the public to be better informed. The technical infrastructure is developed by the Athens Technology Center (ATC).

CEDMO’s mission is to :

• Reduce the worst harms of misinformation, such as threats to public health, social cohesion, economic development, hate speech, and extremism.
• Enhance transparency and understanding by improving media and digital literacy, access to reliable information, and by impeding the reach of misinformation/disinformation.
• Building trust by analyzing the challenges facing the region, states, and communities to establish and restore trust.

Christine Buhagiar, Director Europe, Agence France-Presse (AFP), concludes

“AFP is proud to be part of a project that shines a spotlight on misinformation and brings together key players in the field – fact checkers, researchers and educators – to better help the public navigate through potentially harmful false or misleading claims.”

Translated from Europe Centrale : Lancement du projet CEDMO pour lutter contre la désinformation grâce à l’IA