Stemming the Tide of Disinformation in Public Health

Context: Disinformation, or incorrect information that is intended to mislead, was pronounced during the COVID pandemic. Disinformation that steers away from life-saving practices or toward life-threatening practices can be fatal. The European Union has in place policies and offices to combat disinformation. However, they lack the full mandate and clarity of systems to meet the needs for quick and effective responses.Policy Options:Means to enhance the effectiveness of existing policies include [1] clarifying a rapid response framework, [2] enhancing media literacy in the public, [3] inoculating the public against anticipated disinformation, and [4] engendering public trust through coordinated and consistent communication. Recommendations:Among these four, options 2 and 3 were deemed the best opportunities for quick action, early successes, and the fewest institutional or political hurdles. We recommend [a] that the EU Commission establishes an EU Media Agency with a solid governance structure to support innovative media literacy undertakings and successful implementation; [b] that the existing Media Literacy Expert Group create a media literacy program implementation framework; and [c] that existing EU initiatives on disinformation debunking, media literacy, and inoculation strategies be merged into a single Misinformation Community within the European Institute of Innovation and Technology [EIT]

Towards hypermedia campaigning? Perceptions of new media's importance for campaigning by party strategists in comparative perspective

This paper analyses strategic thinking around election campaign communication in a rapidly evolving media environment, characterized by the rise of digital communication channels and online social networks as new tools of political campaigning. Using an expert survey with campaign managers of 68 political parties within 12 European nations, representing both old and new EU member states, the study investigates the perceived importance of different types of communication platforms in meeting campaign objectives, especially with regard to differences between new and direct modes of campaigning in comparison to traditional campaign channels. The attributed significance to these various channels is then analysed against a range of variables on macro (country) level as well as meso (party) level. The results suggest that while some differences can be observed in regard to the perceptions of particular types of social media between individual strategists working for parties as well as between strategists working in new and old EU member states (e.g. Facebook is seen as more important in younger democracies), overall we can see a relatively high level of homogeneity in the perceived importance of campaign communication in the sample. The data point to the embedding of new communication platforms within election campaign strategies across most nations and parties; this indicates that the move towards ‘hypermedia' campaign style, integrating both old and new campaign tools and communication platforms, is now becoming a standard feature of professional campaigning strategy in Europe

Media and Communication in Europe

This timely book explores how the media shape the Europeanization of the public sphere within the European Union (EU). Bringing together a range of international scholars in media studies and journalism and covering both traditional and online media, it argues that Europeanization is not just an idea - it is a real, ongoing process that we are experiencing every day. Assessing a wide range of actors and processes and acknowledging the diverse relationships between media and politics, the chapters edited by Agnieszka Stepinska reflect contemporary conceptualizations of Europeanization and unravel the complex mediatization of European politics. It covers topics as diverse as children's socialization within the European Union via kid's TV programmes; the impact of the 'Euroblogosphere' on policy decisions; and international broadcasting as one of the key elements to understanding new public diplomacy in Europe. Using the Polish EU presidency of 2011 as an extensive case study, the book's latter part shows what impact Poland's presidency had on its representation, both domestically and abroad, and questions the Presidency's actual power of attracting media attention. 'Media and Communication in Europe' is a valuable resource for any student and researcher interested in the complex relationship between the media and the EU

The EU's Eastern Neighbourhood

The collapse of the Soviet Union has had profound and long-lasting impacts on the societies of Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia, impacts which are not yet fully worked through: changes in state-society relations, a comprehensive reconfiguration of political, economic and social ties, the resurgence of regional conflicts "frozen" during the Soviet period, and new migration patterns both towards Russia and the European Union. At the same time the EU has emerged as an important player in the region, formulating its European Neighbourhood Policy, and engaging neighbouring states in a process of cross-border regional co-operation. This book explores a wide range of complex and contested questions related to borders, security and migration in the emerging "European Neighbourhood" which includes countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia as well as the countries which immediately border the EU. Issues discussed include new forms of regional and cross-border co-operation, new patterns of migration, and the potential role of the EU as a stabilizing external force

The new Hungarian middle class?

According to a widely held view, a broad and strong middle class is a criterion for social stability and a decisive force for democratization. This paper first examines this normative concept of the middle class before investigating how the situation of the middle class changed in Hungary after the regime change and how broad and strong it is today. Finally, we examine to what extent today's Hungarian middle class can be regarded as a pillar of democracy and an engine of democratization

Responding to Deficiencies in the Architecture of Privacy: Co-Regulation as the Path Forward for Data Protection on Social Networking Sites

Social Networking Sites like Facebook, Twitter and the like are a ubiquitous part of contemporary culture. Yet, as exemplified on numerous occasions, most recently in the Cambridge Analytica scandal that shook Facebook in 2018, these sites pose major concerns for personal data protection. Whereas self-regulation has characterized the general regulatory mindset since the early days of the Internet, it is no longer viable given the threat social media poses to user privacy. This article notes the deficiencies of self-regulatory models of privacy and contends jurisdictions like Canada should ensure they have strong data protection regulations to adequately protect the public. However, while underscoring the economic value of Big Data technologies, it posits regulation does not necessarily need to come at the cost of economic prosperity. By adopting a co-regulatory model based on regulatory negotiation, various stakeholders can come together and draft robust and flexible data protection regulations, including both tailored rules and oversight mechanisms. Beginning with a survey of the challenges and opportunities of Big Data and social networking sites (I), this article then canvasses the data protection framework of three jurisdictions, namely the United States, Canada, and the European Union (II). Finally, it shows the clear advantages of co-regulation as a regulatory paradigm and offers an outline for the regulation of social networking sites using regulatory negotiation (III)