Make.org engaged more than 100.000 citizens on the issue of fake news and media literacy.
The citizen consultation “Better Information” was conducted from 27 June to 30 September 2022 by DE FACTO partners on the Make.org platform. It was a part of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO). Other partners were Sciences Po, AFP, the Centre pour l'éducation aux médias et à l'information (CLEMI) and XWiki SAS.
The unprecedented project DE FACTO brought together European researchers, journalists and professionals in media and information education. They worked together on concrete solutions for a better understanding of the current world of information.
European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said that “the whole disinformation community can be proud of finding a way to bring this issue to the top of political agenda, of providing us with research and information so necessary to be able to talk about it and try to design an appropriate policy response.” VP Jourova went on saying that, from the European Commisisons’ perspective “for our part, besides the policy responses such as effective data disclosure for research, I would mention that [ … ] we expect EDMO to start interconnecting research hubs that bring together and leverage academic researchers, fact-checkers, media practitioners and other stakeholders.” Make.org is proud to be part of this community and to have contributed to these goals.
Together, the diverse group of stakeholders created a new and independent space. The objective was to highlight the challenges of information in the digital age through the verification of information, analysis of its circuits and media education.
The starting point of this joint initiative was that digital transformation of the public space offers infinite opportunities for information and expression. Therefore, including a broad and massive base of citizens in the discussion is key. This counts ever more, considering that current developments are also accompanied by a polarisation of the public debate that exacerbates opposition. Our consultation was launched based on those premises.
The results of the consultation show how much citizens value information. Not all of them put forward the same ideas or formulated their recommendations in the same order of priority. However, broad trends emerged from the contributions and the ensuing debates, confirming the results of studies conducted in recent years.
It was highlighted that the participants are in favour of reinforcing media and information education, for the youngest as well as for the whole population. The defence of the principles of free, plural and independent information was strongly reaffirmed. The participants also expressed the wish for greater transparency in media financing. Other priorities were highlighted, such as increased and more rigorous control of broadcast content, or the introduction of sanctions to curb the spread of fake news. The results were clustered in four main avenues of action:
In short, the results of this citizens' consultation are a fairly accurate reflection of society, expressing a deep attachment to access, for each and every one of us, to information that truly serves democratic debate.
The results are disseminated as guidance and reference points to public and private actors. They will allow DE FACTO to formulate recommendations as well as to feed into their actions of research and education to media and information. On the research side, they will contribute to the work of the Science Po Médialab as well as raising awareness via the Centre pour l'éducation aux médias et à l'information (CLEMI).