ZAGREB, 11 June (Hina) - Combating disinformation strengthens society's resilience to manipulation and is vital for preserving democracy, the media and an informed citizenry, it was said at a conference of the Adriatic Digital Media Observatory (ADMO), which also presented current trends in the fight against disinformation.
ADMO coordinator Mato Brautović, from the University of Dubrovnik, said in his opening remarks that ADMO is the first regional centre systematically analysing disinformation narratives, building the capacity for their detection and bringing together experts from academia, the media and civil society with the shared goal of reinforcing society’s resilience to manipulation.
"ADMO is much more than just a project – it is a fundamental step towards a safer and more informed public space," said Brautović.
Krešimir Partl, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Media, stressed that media literacy is one of the most important tools in the fight against disinformation, alongside quality, professional journalism and regulation.
President of the Electronic Media Council, Josip Popovac, emphasised that ADMO is "truly important for the Croatian media ecosystem, especially in terms of cooperation among universities, media outlets, institutions and civil society."
Andrea Čović Vidović, Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia, recalled that the first to combat disinformation in Croatia were civil society organisations. She underlined the importance of the EU's new Digital Services Act, describing it as a game changer - the first piece of legislation in the world to regulate large digital platforms.
ADMO's Ivana Grkeš listed the consortium's key achievements over the past two and a half years: "We’ve published 13 analyses and 600 fact-checks in three languages, conducted six multi-day training programmes for over 130 students, and held media literacy workshops for the public. Through a special N1 TV format, (Dis)info, we explored and discussed global and local topics related to disinformation," Grkeš said, announcing the continuation of the project - ADMO 2.0 - which will be strengthened by new media and academic partners.
Rising populism linked to manipulation and conspiracy theories
Professor Marijana Grbeša from the University of Zagreb warned of rising populism linked to manipulation and conspiracy theories, which erode trust in the media and institutions. She argued that the fight against disinformation is not futile, but current approaches are inadequate, highlighting a disconnect between institutions and younger generations.
Professor Jan Šnajder from the University of Zagreb commented on the double-edged role of technology, particularly ChatGPT and generative AI, in spreading disinformation, making it harder for people to discern truth from falsehood.
Political scientist Nebojša Blanuša noted the weakening of democratic institutions and the merging of various conspiracy narratives, which are often endorsed by illiberal regimes.
Professor Milica Vučković from the Faculty of Political Science emphasised the importance of media literacy in building societal resilience, while Milica Bogdanović from the GONG NGO cautioned against the unchecked influence of social media platforms, which exploit users' data and attention for profit.
N1 Television’s programming director Tihomir Ladišić highlighted the impact of commercial pressures on journalism quality. Ana Kirin, editor of the media literacy portal medijskapismenost.hr, called for media literacy to be made a compulsory part of the school curriculum. Ana Brakus from the fact-checking platform Faktograf warned of a coordinated campaign to undermine journalism and lamented the lack of funding for public interest reporting.
Domagoj Maričić from the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industry (HAKOM) said that while the Digital Services Act is a powerful tool, Croatian regulators cannot intervene in content directly, but only monitor platform responses and report them to the European Commission.
