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Disinformation in focus: experts warn of foreign influences!
On November 29th in Vienna, experts will discuss foreign interference and disinformation and the challenges of modern security.
Disinformation in focus: experts warn of foreign influences!
On November 29, 2024, a conference entitled “Foreign Interference, Subversion & Disinformation” took place in Vienna, attended by leading experts, diplomats and politicians. US diplomat Elizabeth Martin-Shukrun opened the event and made it clear that combating disinformation requires close cooperation between government institutions and civil society. Dietmar Pichler, host and representative of the Disinfo Resilience Network, emphasized the continued great importance of classic influence operations, especially by pro-Russian actors. This was also taken up by politicians Lukas Mandl and David Stögmüller, who pointed out the challenges posed by anti-Western narratives in the media, which are present not only in the digital space but also in traditional media, such as Austrian News reported.
The shadows of history
The discussion also included critical reviews of the events of 2014, particularly the covert Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine. Journalists like Stefan Schocher and scientists like Martin Malek examined the media reporting and criticized the distorted representation in the German-speaking media. In this context, the book “Russia's War against Ukraine: Facts and Perspectives” by Oksana Stavrou was presented, which advocates a fact-based discourse. In addition, David Christopher Jaklin, an expert in hybrid threats, discussed the complexity of these threats, which go beyond digital attacks and can also include sabotage or physical attacks. These facets of disinformation and influence are not only historically significant, but also highly relevant given developments in today's geopolitical landscape, as demonstrated in scholarly publications, including a recent analysis of the spread of disinformation through social media ( Springer ).
In summary, the conference highlighted a positive contribution of science to curbing disinformation. In a stimulating exchange, experts pointed out the dangers posed by actors who intervene in the discourse with factual arguments. The term “contrarian academics” was explained – scientists who argue against the consensus and endanger public discourse through consistently false arguments. It became clear that the challenges in combating disinformation are enormous, and communication between different sectors of society remains crucial to an effective response.