FCRP - Dis/Information

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Countering Disinformation: A Delicate Balance Between International Action and National Particularities
(Cognitatio Press, 2025-05-28) Durach, Flavia; Ciocea, Mălina; Nastasiu, Cătălina
Policies to address disinformation aim to protect a number of key public goods, such as self-determination by citizens, fair elections, and a healthy media and information ecosystem. The literature on resilience to disinformation finds striking differences between states, resulting from particular combinations of factors. Consequently, there is a need to maintain a delicate balance between coordinated action at the global level and localized interventions in response to particular vulnerabilities. Starting from this premise, this article explores the complexities of local contexts that contribute to resilience and addresses the tensions in developing evidence-based policies grounded in a wider societal context and system of values. Our study relies on data collected in an EU-funded project, Strategic Planning to Strengthen the Disinformation Resilience and the Management of Hybrid Threats, implemented jointly by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (Bucharest) between 2020 and 2023. By using insights from key project activities (public opinion survey and policy brief), we assess Romania’s needs and vulnerabilities, which can be addressed through personalized interventions for countering disinformation; we distinguish a particular architecture of policy responses and debate the possible courses of action for a systematic approach to disinformation. Overall, our study contributes to a better understanding of how effective policies for countering disinformation need to be fed by an awareness of relevant global and regional contexts as well as local factors, values, vulnerabilities, and sensibilities.
Fake News or Disinformation 2.0? Some Insights into Romanians’ Digital Behaviour
(European Institute of Romania, 2018-06) Bârgăoanu, Alina; Radu, Loredana
This paper focuses on digital behaviour, self-assessment of vulnerabilities to digital disinformation, and patterns of trust as exposed by Romanian citizens. By corroborating the data of the first national public opinion survey on fake news and disinformation (implemented between February and March 2018) with the Special Eurobarometer no. 464 – Fake News and Disinformation Online – implemented in the same time frame (February 2018), we capture the perceptions and attitudes of Romanian citizens over the use of new media and news trustworthiness, and we also compare the Romanians’ online behaviour with the average European’s. As similar research reveals, digital disinformation affects resilience of citizens in Member States and in the European Union overall, it “threatens the democratic political processes and values” (European Commission, 2018: 12), the integrity of elections and political processes, and should therefore, be approached as a legitimate public concern. Our paper opens the floor for more dedicated research and applied policies - at both the Member States and EU levels - aimed at mitigating the rising and ever worrying fake news phenomenon.
Fighting disinformation: Evidence for policy making
(Routledge, 2024) Corbu, Nicoleta; Frau-Meigs, Divina; Teyssou, Denis; Bârgăoanu, Alina
In recent years, “fake news” has become a buzzword, often weaponised for various purposes. A very abundant literature addressing many facets of the phenomenon has flourished in the last years covering topics related to definitions and classifications of “fake news”, its negative effects, and the technological facilitators associated with it, etc. However, literature focusing on ordinary people’s understanding of “fake news” is rather scarce. By means of two focus groups (N = 8) conducted in four countries (France, Romania, Spain, and Sweden), one with teachers and one with ordinary people (N = 64), we investigated the audience’s perspectives on “fake news” definitions, possible effects, and potential measures to address them. Findings show that there is an almost general consensus about strategic intentions as key to defining “fake news”. The perceived impact of “fake news” is very high among participants, with concern about democratic consequences, especially in the public health sector. Finally, differences between the two types of groups and across countries are further discussed, with a focus on implications for evidence-based policymaking.
Information Warfare: Adapting to the Ever-Changing Nature of War
(Routledge, 2024) Vladu, Loredana; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Nastasiu, Cătălina
There are crucial implications for the Intelligence Community as it navigates the evolving landscape of modern information warfare. This study reveals a critical gap between expert perceptions and public attitudes, particularly in Romania, where citizens’ understanding of the new information warfare, pro-Russian narratives, and Western alliances diverge significantly from expert analysis. Intelligence agencies need to improve their ability to monitor and counter disinformation by understanding the sociopolitical and information environments that adversaries exploit, particularly in the context of pro-Russian and anti-Western propaganda. These efforts must account for the broader rise of illiberalism, which leverages ultranationalism, religion, and conservative values to fuel anti-Western and antiestablishment sentiments.
Justifying an Invasion: When Is Disinformation Successful?
(Routledge, Taylor & Francis Inc., 2024) Zilinsky, Jan; Theocharis, Yannis; Pradel, Franziska; Corbu, Nicoleta
Conventional wisdom suggests that social media, especially when used by authoritarian powers with nefarious aims, leaves citizens of democratic countries vulnerable to psychological influence campaigns. But such concerns overlook predispositions among recipients of false claims to reject (or to endorse) conspiratorial narratives. Analyzing responses from a survey fielded in 19 countries, we find that it is a preexisting conspiracy outlook at the individual level, more so than media diets, which consistently predicts rating Russia’s pretenses for the invasion as more accurate. In all countries, individuals who view the world in general with a conspiratorial mindset are more likely to believe war-related disinformation. Receiving news via YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok is also associated with greater belief in Russian narratives justifying the invasion in several countries, but these relationships are weaker compared to those observed for conspiracy thinking. Without downplaying a potential positive role for media interventions, the findings highlight the importance of a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of conspiratorial thinking.
Media Exposure to Conspiracy vs. Anti-conspiracy Information. Effects on the Willingness to Accept a COVID-19 Vaccine
(Polskie Towarzystwo Komunikacji Społecznej, 2021) Udrea, Georgiana; Buturoiu, Raluca; Dumitrache, Alexandru Cristian; Corbu, Nicoleta
The COVID-19 pandemic opened the doors for a corresponding “infodemic”, associated with various misleading narratives related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As the way to stop the pandemic was unveiled, misleading narratives switched from the disease itself to the vaccine. Nevertheless, a rather scarce corpus of literature has approached the effects of these narratives on the willingness to take a vaccine against COVID-19. This study investigates how exposure to conspiracy narratives versus information that counter these narratives influences people’s willingness to get vaccinated. Based on an experimental design, using a sample of Romanian students (N=301), this research shows that exposure to factual information related to COVID-19 vaccines meant to debunk conspiracy theories leads to higher willingness to vaccinate. Furthermore, this study shows that young, educated Romanians consider distant others to be more influenced by conspiracy theories on this topic, and, therefore, more prone to exhibit hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination.
Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance: The Role of Trust and the Influence of Social Media
(2024-02-21) Bârgăoanu, Alina; Buturoiu, Raluca; Durach, Flavia
The study discusses the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Romania. We implemented a national survey using an online panel (N = 1006), representative for the online population of Romania aged 18 or higher, conducted on 13–26 October, 2020, by the national pollster QUESTIA. Results show a predictive model of people’s willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine, in which trust in the actors and institutions involved in the management of the crisis is the strongest predictor, followed by the belief in toxic or misleading narratives about vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic, and media consumption patterns. Education is a moderator of the relationship between trust and the willingness to vaccinate. Implications for professionals in the social work fields, as well as for policy-makers are discussed. Results could be used as a starting point for developing recommendations for evidence-based health communication in the context of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Public policies to fight disinformation actively through media and information literacy
(Routledge, Taylor & Francis Inc., 2024) Durach, Flavia; Vladu, Loredana; Călin, Iulia; Enache, Marina
The chapter focuses on current and prospective policy measures in the EU to counter disinformation, among which is media literacy. Media literacy practices and actions in the EU member states vary significantly in terms of their embedment in formal education, actors involved, number of relevant initiatives, and social impact. Against this background, our research objectives were: (1) to understand and comparatively assess current practices in France, Spain, and Romania to actively fight disinformation, with a focus on MIL, fact-checking, education policies, and (2) to formulate recommendations for designing policies to mitigate disinformation risks in EU. Between January and March 2022, within EU-funded project YouVerify!, we conducted 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with French, Romanian, and Spanish experts from relevant fields: decision-makers, experts in disinformation and media literacy, and journalists involved in the media coverage of politics and/or working in online media. The results provided insights on the public policies put in place in each country, in relation to other types of measures for fighting disinformation. Building on this up-to-date analysis, we designed policy recommendations in each country and at the EU level, to strengthen the impact of MIL practices and to increase their synergy with other types of measures.

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