In an age of increasing distrust in mainstream media, fact-checkers, who are tasked with clarifying and debunking misleading claims, now also find themselves the targets of that same distrust.
Fact-checkers are being increasingly targeted by hostile actions to prevent them from doing their jobs effectively, a new report by the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) has revealed.
According to the report, 66% of respondents, including academics, fact-checkers and journalists, said they had fallen victim to incidents like online harassment, intimidation, physical threats or harm and doxxing.
The EDMO report stated that most hostile behaviour is experienced solely in the online environment, but a “significant amount” occurs both online and offline. Offline-only incidents are very rare, according to the EDMO.
The most frequently reported form of abuse is trolling, the report said, followed by threatening emails, brigading (coordinated online harassment campaigns) and doxxing (revealing personal information about someone without their consent).
The EDMO says that these attacks are often triggered by retaliation for work on contentious topics and distrust towards the counter-disinformation community.
Specifically, they result from fact-checking on the like of misleading COVID-19 claims, migration, the environment and women. Investigative work into far-right groups or online conspiracy theory networks is also a common trigger, as is public speaking on issues such as conspiracy theories and platform regulation.
As part of the retaliation, people tend to slam fact-checkers as “censors”, “foreign agents” and “politically biased”, and accuse them of receiving dubious finances, according to the EDMO, in an attempt to delegitimise them.
Who’s behind it?
The perpetrators of the abuse include individuals, ideologically motivated groups, alternative media and even political or government entities.
“State actors and government-related mediums were particularly mentioned in Hungary as well as in Slovakia as responsible for harassment and other adversarial actions,” the EDMO said.
In some countries such as Ireland, there were positive developments, including the setup of dedicated hotlines between media professionals and police authorities and regular meetings to discuss threats.
In others, the opposite is happening, with authorities raising the level of surveillance and endangering freedom of expression, according to the report.
“The adoption in early 2024 of the ‘Sovereignty Protection Act’ in Hungary is a fitting example, with the establishment of a Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) acting to discredit independent media, accusing it of spreading disinformation in service of foreign interests,” the EDMO added.
While most fact-checkers targeted by abuse say that it happens sporadically, some also say they are the victims of frequent abuses, particularly after publishing work on controversial topics.
Some 44% of respondents said abuse was sporadic, rare or they didn’t experience it at all. Another 17% said they experienced it weekly, 15% monthly, 12% daily and 10% quarterly.
The results of the report in general show the persistent and growing risks that the counter-disinformation community faces in Europe and beyond, the EDMO warned.
ADVERTISEMENTIn an age of increasing distrust in mainstream media, those who are tasked with clarifying and debunking claims are now also more and more the target of that same distrust.
To try and buck the trend of increasing abuse, the report recommends strengthening networks for peer-to-peer support, developing guidelines on how to prepare for adversarial actions, and enhancing security both online and offline.
It also calls for greater awareness among policymakers and stronger protection for fact-checkers, including robust legal support for those doing the job.
“EDMO calls on all competent authorities to address this alarming challenge with the greatest determination, in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU,” the organisation said.
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