FCRP - Dis/Information

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Branding Romania as a ”Tech Country”. Nation Branding in Times of Digital Disruption
(‘Henri Coanda’ Air Force Academy Publishing House, 2020) Cheregi, Bianca Florentina; Bârgăoanu, Alina
In the age of “digital disinformation 2.0” (Bârgăoanu, 2018) and “digital deceit” (Ghosh & Scott, 2018), nation branding has become part of a new paradigm of strategic communication between states, trying to seduce various audiences. According to Korjus (2017), the next big industry to face digital disruption will be our nations. For instance, Estonia’s brand image is based on the idea of a digital state, both for domestic and foreign audiences. In Denmark, Casper Klynge has become the first nation state ambassador to Silicon Valley, describing his job as “techplomacy” (Baugh, 2017). The nation-state is responding to the new communications environment by reinventing itself in the current climate of intercultural dialogue for Europe. An interesting case is to be found in contemporary Romania, ranked 46th in the world, in terms of digital competitiveness at global level (World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, 2019). Overall, the aim of our research is to investigate technology as a soft power (Nye, 2004) instrument for Romania and to analyze how journalists and public actors construct the topic of new technology as a competitive advantage. In doing so, our research revolves around 50 news articles, published in the Romanian quality press (Adevărul, Gândul, România Liberă), employing mixed methods such as framing analysis (Entman, 1993) and critical discourse analysis. The results show that journalists have an active role in constructing technology as a public issue in Romania, related to future policy-making and regulation endeavors, as well as the future of public diplomacy.
Branding Romania in the Age of Disruption.Technology as a Soft Power Instrument
(Editura Accent, 2020) Cheregi, Bianca Florentina; Bârgăoanu, Alina
"In the age of disruption and in today’s platform society (Van Dijck et al., 2019), communication between nation states is influenced by the development of technology. The nation state is responding to the new communication environment through “techplomacy” and through the use of Artificial Intelligence as a strategic asset in the global tech race. Artificial Intelligence (AI), including the strategies to come up with viable AI, has a big potential for nation branding, being also a competitive advantage for countries worldwide. In this context, the aim of our research is to investigate technology as a soft power (Nye, 2004) instrument for Romania and to analyze how the nation brand is constructed in relation to technology. In doing so, our research revolves around the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy for Romania, presented at the IT&C Summit on May 8, 2019, and 50 news articles, published in the quality press (Adevărul, Gândul, România Liberă) employing mixed methods such as framing analysis (Entman, 1993) and critical discourse analysis (Van Dijk, 1993). The results show that there are four dominant media frames: (1) artificial intelligence, (2) the 5G technology, (3) education and (4) smart city, while both journalists and public actors have an active role in constructing technology as a public issue in Romania."
Cognitive Warfare: Understanding the Threat
(Routledge, 2023) Bârgăoanu, Alina; Durach, Flavia
Starting from the premise that you cannot tackle a problem that is poorly understood, the chapter explores a relatively new phenomenon known by many names, such as “information warfare”, “disinformation disorder”, “post-truth”, “computational propaganda”, “network propaganda”, “disinformation 2.0”, “ampliganda”, or “cognitive warfare”. The aim of the chapter is to provide arguments in favor of the idea that the current situation under which the human mind is turned into an international/ transnational battlefield is best captured by the term “cognitive warfare”. This new type of warfare is waged by means of disinformation, propaganda, influence operations and hostile information campaigns all at the same time. Above all, this new type of warfare is waged in a completely changed communication and information ecosystem, where every major issue in a society can be weaponized thanks to the very connectivity of that new ecosystem. Conceptualizing cognitive warfare as a new, technology-driven phenomenon has implications for research and for policy-making. We illustrate these implications especially for endeavors towards documenting the phenomenon by means of a national public opinion survey using an online panel (N=1000), representative of the population of Romania that has access to the Internet and is aged 18 or higher.
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.
Crisis of confidence in vaccination and the role of social media
(Elsevier, 2021-12) Durach, Flavia; Buturoiu, Raluca; Craiu, Dana; Cazacu, Cristina; Bârgăoanu, Alina
Introduction: The aim of this paper is to review the current situation of vaccine hesitancy, with emphasis on children with neurological disorders, and to present the role social media plays in this situation. Methods: A literature review using the following search words was performed: vaccine* OR immune* AND hesitancy OR confidence AND social media. Results: The search retrieved 277 results; 17 duplicates and 234 irrelevant articles were excluded. 43 articles were fully analyzed. Conclusions: An increasing number of parents are becoming vaccine hesitant. Their motives are complex and nuanced and involve factors related to vaccine safety and efficiency, perceived personal risks and benefits, socio-demographic and psychological characteristics. Attitudes toward vaccination differ in adolescents from their parents. In children with neurological disorders, factors involved in vaccination decision included physicians' knowledge of neurological diseases and parents’ concerns that vaccination would exacerbate the chronic disorder. Unfortunately, the current pandemic is associated with an increase in vaccine hesitancy and brought forward unique determinants. The social media platforms can be a tool for the anti-vaccine movement to spread misinformation, but it can also be valued as a way for promoting health and pro-vaccine information.
Cyber Influence Defense: Applying the DISARM Framework to a Cognitive Hacking Case from the Romanian Digital Space
(NASK – National Research Institute, 2024) Bârgăoanu, Alina; Pană, Mihaela
One of the main lessons learned in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine starting in February 2022 is that for- eign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) operations are closely coupled with cyber threats. Regardless of whether cyberattacks are followed by an information manipulation compo- nent and vice versa, the merger of the two can be an early indica- tor of the potential for a conflict to escalate from the cyber area to the ground. Our article is premised on the idea that today’s highly technologised information ecosystem is a fertile ground for cyberattacks and information manipulation in the context of FIMI; more specifically, it enables cognitive hacking, meaning hacking the human mind and human cognition altogether through techno- logical disruption and cyber pressure. Starting from this premise, the aim of the article is to highlight the technological determi- nants of cognitive hacking and identify silent or emerging threats that bypass technological sensors and seek to disrupt and manip- ulate the information environment. The empirical part is based on observation as a descriptive method, which is used to analyse a case of cognitive hacking carried out via a YouTube malvertis- ing campaign targeting Romanian users. This case study is anal- ysed qualitatively by matching the DISinformation Analysis & Risk Management (DISARM) framework with evidence collected through Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) tools, following an innovative analysis structured according to the purposes, actions, results and techniques (PART) model. The extensive analysis of the identified case shows that applying the DISARM framework to cyber-enabled operations can be useful for anticipating and responding to FIMI threats, even when such operations do not appear to have a spe- cific, immediately identifiable purpose.
Do conspiracy theories circulating in the media or their debunking affect people’s trust in the media?
(Maison des Sciences de l'Homme , SAGE Publications, 2023) Corbu, Nicoleta; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Udrea, Georgiana; Gavrilescu, Mihai
The COVID-19 pandemic has fostered an unprecedented number of conspiracy theories about the virus and the vaccine against the disease. Current research has tried to make sense of the effects of conspiracy narratives and debunking them in both mainstream and social media. However, the effect of such narratives or their debunking on media trust has not been investigated to date. By means of a 2 × 2 experimental design (N = 945) in Romania, we investigate how mainstream and social media content containing conspiracy theories about vaccination against COVID-19 and debunking them influence people’s trust in both mainstream and social media. People’s own beliefs in such narratives are used as moderators of these effects. Findings show that only the debunking content circulating in mainstream media decreases people’s trust in both mainstream and social media, and only for people exhibiting high levels of belief in conspiracy theories, that is only when people are exposed to counter-attitudinal content. Implications for stakeholders are discussed.
Does Fake News Lead to More Engaging Effects on Social Media? Evidence from Romania
(De Gruyter Mouton, 2020) Corbu, Nicoleta; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Buturoiu, Raluca; Ștefăniță, Oana
This study examines the potential of fake news to produce effects on social media engagement as well as the moderating role of education and government approval. We report on a 2x2x2 online experiment conducted in Romania (N=813), in which we manipulated the level of facticity of a news story, its valence, and intention to deceive. Results show that ideologically driven news with a negative valence (rather than fabricated news or other genres, such as satire and parody) have a greater virality potential. However, neither the level of education nor government approval moderate this effect. Additionally, both positive and negative ideologically driven news stories enhance the probability that people will sign a document to support the government (i. e., potential for political engagement on social media). These latter effects are moderated by government approval: Lower levels of government approval lead to less support for the government on social media, as a consequence of fake news exposure.
East-West Divide in the European Union: Legacy or Developmental Failure?
(European Institute of Romania, 2021) Volintiru, Clara; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Ștefan, George; Durach, Flavia
EU goes through a realignment process in the context of the demise of multilateralism, yet the impact of this process on the 11 new Member States from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is rarely discussed. There is a persistent East-West divide in the EU that is mainly socio-economic, even though often narrated as a political divide between older and newer Member States. The article explores in depth the current developmental metrics in CEE and argues that the progress that has been achieved in overall levels of convergence in the EU is yet to be reflected at subnational level, where great disparities persist. It is the developmental divide that continues to inform political divisions in Europe.
Electoral dynamics in the age of disinformation: Understanding Romanian voter support for nationalist populist parties in the 2024 elections
(SAGE Publications, 2025) Boțan, Mădălina; Ștefureac, Remus; Stancea, Andreea
This study looks at factors influencing voters' preference for nationalist populist parties in Romania that support closer ties with Russia. Using data from a national survey, we propose that factors like awareness of disinformation, social media use, trust in party leaders, and belief in conspiracy theories significantly affect voting choices. We test each of these factors with logistic regression analysis to see how much they contribute to predicting support for nationalist movements with pro-Russia stance.
Fake News Going Viral: The Mediating Effect Of Negative Emotions
(University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, 2021-11-13) Udrea, Georgiana; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Corbu, Nicoleta; Durach, Flavia
In recent years, “fake news” has become a buzzword used to describe a variety of disinformation practices identifiable both in the traditional media, and in the digital environment. The goal of our paper is to investigate fake news, aiming at both clarifying the concept and discussing the possible integration of ideologically driven information under this large umbrella, as well as investigating conditions under which various types of fake news have the potential to go viral. In this study we consider ideologically driven news as a form of disinformation, by the mere reason that there is a clear intention to deceive behind this type of news. At the same time, we argue that, compared to no more than one-two decades ago, ideologically driven information is potentially much more harmful, by virtue of the potential of being shared, easily further disseminated within echo-chambers and with the help of filter bubbles. In line with recent studies, we contend that, at its core, the fake news problem concerns the economics of emotion, specifically how emotions are used and often abused to foster audience’s attention, engagement, and willingness to share content. In this context, and under the recent political circumstances in Romania (marked by anti-government protests and public opposition to the ruling political party), our aim is to better understand how people’s susceptibility to disseminate deceitful information is enhanced by various forms and valences of politically biased fake news, and what is the role of specific emotions in explaining this process. Bulding on Tandoc et al.’s classification of fake news, we propose a 2x2x2 experimental design, in which we manipulated intention to deceive, level of facticity and valence. The survey experiment (N=813) tests two positive (enthusiasm and contentment) and two negative (anger and fear) discrete emotions as mediators of the main effect of potential of viralisation effects (i.e. how likely users are to share fake news on a social network). Results show that negatively biased fake news enhances people’s willingness to share the news story, while positively biased fake news has no significant effect on the viralisation potential. Moreover, the potential for viralisation is mediated by negative emotions, but not by positive ones.
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 through media literacy: From current practices to policy making in Europe
(Center for Research on the English-Speaking World (CREW), 2025) Frau-Meigs, Divina; Corbu, Nicoleta; Osuna-Acedo, Sara
The new media ecosystem has deeply transformed the way online disinformation spreads and multiplies in the last few years. Consistent efforts have been made at national and European levels to find efficient ways to fight disinformation and raise public awareness about the dangers associated with it. In this context, the current study gathers expert opinions about current practices and possible ways to intervene through public policies in fighting disinformation, with a focus on media literacy solutions. In European-funded project YouVerify, in-depth interviews were conducted with disinformation fighters, journalists, and policy makers (N=30) in three European countries (France, Romania, and Spain), to find solutions that could actively contribute to implementing public policy in this area. The main results show similarities and differences between the three countries, especially in projected future solutions. All respondents see the enhancement of current practices as mandatory in the future. Additionally, in France, interviewees see fact-checking, quality journalism, and media regulation as the main drivers of the fight against disinformation, while in Romania experts focus on research and education, and in Spain on education and awareness campaigns. Experts in all countries consider media literacy as key instrument of the future policies to fight disinformation.
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.
Keep the (social) distance! : turnout and risk perception during health crisis
(Springer Nature, 2024) Stancea, Andreea; Muntean, Aurelian
This article investigates the relationship between risk perception and electoral participation of citizens. To assess this, we use the case study of the novel coronavirus and its relationship with voter turnout during the 2020 Romanian elections. We assess the relationship between COVID-19 and citizens’ intention to cast a vote by employing an individual model. Additionally, using the share rate of the infected population with COVID-19, we examine the association between the intensity of the outbreak across counties and electoral participation. Either though our research is cross-sectional and focuses on covariation rather than causal relationships, provides insightful results. The individual model shows that the higher the risk perception of infection is, the lower the intention to cast a vote. The aggregated exploratory model employed shows that an increase in the percentage of the shared infected population decreases the chance of electoral participation.
Key Words Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Comparing the Media and the Public Agenda
(Babeş-Bolyai University, 2021) Buturoiu, Raluca; Gavrilescu, Mihai
Based on recent ramifications of the traditional agenda-setting model, this paper aims at analyzing the convergence of the media and the public agenda in times of crisis. Specifically, drawing upon the network agenda-setting theory, this article explores the main key words associated with COVID-19—related topics in both the media and the public agendas. Main findings suggest that the media used context dependent key words to refer to the pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, both television and online news stories referred to issues related to the virus itself, to the measures taken to limit its spread, and to some medical conditions, while in January 2021 media focused on key words related to vaccination and immunization. In terms of public agenda, results show that people tended to refer to pandemic-related issues mainly in negative terms, due to both media exposure and, presumably, personal experiences. These results offer valuable insights into the dynamics of both media and public agenda in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing fertile ground for better understanding how media shape several public attitudes and behaviors.
Media Coverage in Times of Crisis. Intermedia Agenda-setting of COVID-19 – related Topics
(College of Communication and Public Relations, NUPSPA, 2021) Buturoiu, Raluca; Voloc, Anca
In times of crisis, the media play a crucial role in offering people information and updates related to the ongoing events. Thus, the media implicitly shape public opinion on the issues they cover and, as a result, influence public attitudes and behaviors. In this context, this paper aims at analyzing the media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, by means of quantitative content analysis (N=1511) conducted on both television and online news stories released during March 18-31 2020, this study sheds light on the agenda-setting effects of the media and the phenomenon known as intermedia agenda-setting. Main results show that, in spring 2020, both television and online news stories extensively covered COVID-19 topics, focusing on domestic issues such as decisions taken by the authorities in order to manage the pandemic, effects of the virus, and statistics. Furthermore, results show a relatively high intermedia agenda-setting effect within the Romanian media environment. Content published online (either in the form of social media content or online stories) is frequently “borrowed” and cited in both online and television news stories, leading us to the idea that digital media might have become mainstream information sources.
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.

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