Defending Democracy in the Balkans: Safeguarding Information Integrity in the Digital Era

On April 2, International Fact-Checking Day, the Metamorphosis Foundation and the Anti-Disinformation for the Balkans organized a Regional Conference on the topic: “Defending Democracy in the Balkans: Safeguarding Information Integrity in the Digital Era”. The conference was attended by experts from the region and beyond who are engaged in checking facts and countering disinformation.

Our President & Founder, Mr. Jan Cingel, was a distinguished panelist in the second panel discussion, called „Democracy at Risk: Elections in the Age of Disinformation”, which delved into the disruptive impact of disinformation on electoral processes. In this panel, our President warned about the expected increased disinformation narratives before the elections. He gave the example of the disinformation campaign using an AI-generated audio recording during the election campaign in Slovakia, which influenced the election process.

Key takeaways emphasized the critical need for heightened scrutiny of information flow and enhanced regional cooperation to fortify defenses against disinformation, recognizing its increasingly pervasive and elusive nature in the digital age.

For more than 13 years, the Metamorphosis Foundation has been working to uncover the misinformation that is spreading throughout the country and the region through digital media, collaborating with 15 partner organizations from all over the Balkans.

The Anti-Disinformation for the Balkans was founded in 2020, and in addition to Metamorphosis and Innovative Media from North Macedonia, the network includes Internews Kosova from Kosovo, CRTA from Serbia, Ellinika Hoaxes from Greece, BlueLink from Bulgaria, then Peace Journalism Lab, Digital Communications Network Southeast Europe Hub and Journalists about Journalism from Greece. Its members adhere to the founding Declaration which affirms freedom of expression in its various forms.