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According to disinformation flows in Lithuania, 2021 became a record year: 30 percent more of disinformation campaigns were recorded than in 2020. However, Lithuania is no exception, all the countries of the world suffer from the damage caused by disinformation, so it is increasingly important to combine the knowledge and practices of specialists and to search for solutions together.
Experts that monitor propaganda spread about Lithuania point out that the main purpose of biased information aimed at domestic audiences, directed against Lithuania, is to sow citizens’ distrust in the state, its institutions, EU and NATO membership. The foreign market is mostly addressed to negative and often false messages, which form a negative image of Lithuania in the West and East and raise doubts about the cultural and historical identity of Lithuanians.
Among the stated major reasons that encourage the growth of disinformation flows are the reaction of forces hostile to Lithuania to the modernization of the country’s army, efforts to limit the flow of illegal migration, Lithuania’s strong position regarding the regimes of the Kremlin and Belarus, and a proactive position in the context of NATO and EU discussions.
Ieva Ivanauskaitė, the business development manager of the major partner of the DIGIRES project, news portal DELFI, shares her thoughts and impressions after several international events where she presented the DIGIRES project and shared insights about Lithuania’s experience in the fight against propaganda.
Why is it so important to communicate with international colleagues, what can we learn from them?
In the conferences, which I have to attend more and more recently, the damage caused by the phenomenon of disinformation on an international scale is discussed more and more, and the best means to prevent this damage are also being sought. The opportunity to meet live with representatives of the media, civic organizations and the academic community from Europe and the whole world is an invaluable opportunity to exchange good practices, generate new solutions in creative workshops and apply them in their own countries upon return.
On the other hand, discussions about the extent of propaganda in different countries are an opportunity to better understand how this phenomenon works, what are its differences and similarities in different countries. For example, in the Balkan countries, disinformation has long been actively used in various political circles, when at that time either media channels favorable to the Kremlin or individuals seeking personal gain are the most successful, but the end result is always the same – in the long run, the foundations of democracy are destabilized, as public trust in institutions weakens and even threats to public health, as happened during the pandemic.
How would you assess, how strongly Lithuania is prepared to increase media literacy of society, do we not seem to be lagging behind in the general context of Europe?
The situation is ambiguous: on the one hand, in Lithuania we have been trying to curb the impact of disinformation by one or another means for quite a long time, and we have much more experience than most European or even world countries. On the other hand, I think we understand more and more clearly that neither the competition to analyze more disinformation precedents or verify more claims, nor individual campaigns to strengthen media literacy, nor studies of the impact of disinformation in Lithuania, unfortunately, do not bring the desired result.
It is increasingly evident that all efforts need to be combined into one methodically functioning ecosystem. As the example of the Balkans shows, there are places where it has started to be done, and our example – DIGIRES – is still very young, but perhaps only now is the time for it. Bearing in mind the pursuit of knowledge and perseverance of Lithuanians, we can do big things with small steps.
Share your insights, what have we already done in a meaningful way and where should we speed up our steps so that we are not among the ones behind?
It seems to me that the most meaningful step has already been taken – the identification of the need to form a multidisciplinary partnership and the gathering of suitable partners for the nucleus. Of course, the significance of the previously mentioned individual initiatives should not be underestimated either: fact-checking successfully helps audiences to distinguish lies from the truth and evaluate information more critically, various studies on disinformation narratives prevailing in Lithuania, on the influence of certain demographic groups on them are a starting point for the formation of the DIGIRES activity strategy, in order to minimize that impact.
However, there are still a lot of fundamental gaps. It is a regret that there are still no national guidelines for increasing the digital resilience of society. It is true that there are guidelines for implementing digital literacy in school programs, but neither the competence of educators nor the consistent integration into various educational subjects are sufficiently thought out. In my opinion, media literacy is an interdisciplinary subject that is not limited to computer science or the Lithuanian language.
There is also no liability for the dissemination of disinformation, except where it can be identified as hate speech or defamation. In order to solve such problems, it is not only necessary for the state institutions to decide what should be done, but also for intersectoral cooperation, consultations and, eventually, the provision of effective recommendations and their implementation at the national level. I really hope that such a future awaits us and it is not far away.
Thank you for the conversation.
Ivanauskaitė also shared these thoughts and insights with the international community at international events dedicated to increasing digital resilience and combating the effects of disinformation held in Milan, Zagreb, Sarajevo and Kaunas in March-May. These topics will also be addressed at several upcoming events, including Global Fact, the world’s largest fact-checking event, which will be held in Oslo this year on June 23-25.
