The project

Disinformation campaigns targeting the credibility of journalists and fact-checkers are on the rise in Europe and beyond. Tactics such as online harassment, smear campaigns, and legal intimidation are frequently employed to silence journalists and erode trust in independent media, creating an environment where disinformation can thrive unchecked.

The project “Decoding the Disinformation Playbook,” a collaborative effort led by the International Press Institute (IPI), Faktograf, and the German daily TAZ, seeks to understand and expose the strategies commonly used by populist and extremist movements to silence and intimidate independent media, as well as to discredit their work.

The Observatory of Disinformation Narratives against the Media, developed from the analysis of eight case studies across Europe conducted under this project until August 2024, aims to reveal how these disinformation narratives are weaponized. It highlights how the same narratives are adopted by populists, conspiracy theorists and extremist movements operating in different countries in Europe but adapted to exploit public concerns in each context..

Further case studies and narratives will be added over the course of the project.

Types of Narratives

The narratives identified by the researchers collectively capture the key strategies used by extremists and populists to discredit journalists and media outlets:

 

However, most of these narratives are interconnected and often overlap. They do so, in part, because most of them stem from broader, ongoing rhetoric that has been weaponized by populists, autocrats and extremist movements across the world at various times in the past to manipulate public opinion, distort reality, and serve specific ideological or political ends. In this regard, the narratives that we have identified above can be categorised in as follows:

Nationalist rhetoric: A discourse that exploits national pride and identity to manipulate public sentiment. It often frames national interests as being under threat from external or internal enemies, using exaggerated or false claims to foster division and rally support for certain political agendas. This rhetoric can distort historical facts and demonize perceived outsiders to consolidate power and justify exclusionary policies.

Populist rhetoric: A discourse that capitalizes on the frustrations of the general public by portraying a stark divide between “the people” and a corrupt elite. It often simplifies complex issues, scapegoats marginalized groups, and spreads disinformation to paint the populist leader as the sole defender of the common people. This rhetoric is designed to incite strong emotional responses, often bypassing rational debate to garner mass support.

Conspiracy theory: A discourse that promotes unfounded theories suggesting covert plots by powerful entities to manipulate or control events. This rhetoric often leverages disinformation, cherry-picked facts to create an illusion of hidden truths being exposed. It aims to erode trust in established institutions and foster a sense of skepticism among the public.

Financial rhetoric: A strategy within disinformation campaigns that uses economic arguments to undermine or discredit individuals, groups, or organizations perceived as “adversaries”. This rhetoric often fabricates financial misconduct, economic threats, or harmful financial consequences associated with these “opponents” to create distrust.

Gendered disinformation: A targeted form of disinformation that seeks to exploit and reinforce gender biases to discredit, harass, or undermine individuals, particularly women or gender minorities, in public life. This rhetoric uses falsehoods, stereotypes, and abusive tactics to silence voices that challenge traditional gender norms or advocate for gender equality.

The team

The International Press Institute (IPI), Faktograf and TAZ have a strong track record of defending media independence throughout their work.

IPI, the lead organisation of this consortium, was founded in 1950 and has remained steadfast in its mission to support press freedom and independent journalism. Supporting independent journalism and protecting editorial independence are the founding principles of  the organisation. IPI’s Executive Board is composed of senior editors including one Nobel laureate. In addition to global advocacy for press freedom, IPI has also modeled an innovative grants programme  to support cross-border investigative journalism while providing a firewall to ensure editorial independence. >> Visit IPI’s website here.

 “taz”, founded in 1978, is a completely independent national media company, unique in this form. It is wholly owned by a cooperative of 22,500 readers. Together with the employees – who have special privileged voting rights in their own general assembly – they decide on all matters concerning the taz and appoint the Management Board and Supervisory Board. A contribution to the cooperative is only possible for natural persons (limited at 100,000 EUR/person) and one person, one vote. This principle of “one member – one vote” rules out any concentration of power or participation by companies. “taz” is therefore permanently protected from external influence. >> Visit taz’s website here.

 Faktograf.hr started publishing in October 2015 as a collaborative project initiated by two publishers: Gong and the Croatian Journalists’ Association, with partner support from regional fact-checkers Istinomjer.ba and Istinomjer.rs and financial support by the National Endowment for Democracy. Based on the successes of the incubation period, that include providing fact-checking services to Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program, Faktograf embarked on a new developmental cycle as a self-publishing newsroom. In 2021 the newsroom established an independent nonprofit Association for the Informed Public that is now the sole publisher of Faktograf.hr and serves as a platform through which the journalists can develop a sustainable and socially impactful media organisation. Faktograf.hr is a verified member of the International Fact-Checking Network and a signatory of its Code of Principles, and is a part of European Fact Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) with a representative in the Governance Body. >> Visit Faktograf’s website here.

Support

The project Decoding the disinformation playbook of populism in Europe is supported by the European Media and Information Fund, managed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Disclaimer: The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.