Inside AFP
Thirteen organizations, including AFP, are collaborating within the CEDMO consortium to counter disinformation more effectively
The consortium is led by Charles University in Prague and the international multidisciplinary team includes AFP and Bellingcat.
CEDMO (Central European Digital Media Observatory) has been operating since 2021 with the help of fact checkers, social science and technology researchers, and investigative journalists to analyze and understand the impact of digital transformation on society.
The consortium's activities include identifying and analyzing the mechanisms of disinformation in Central Europe with the aim of coming up with short-term and long-term solutions to help the public cope with the growing influence of false and misleading information.
The current eight organizations in the consortium will be joined by five more, including Demagog and NASK from Poland. Among the academic partners, apart from Charles University, the Polish University of SWPS will continue to operate in the hub and will focus on the analysis of disinformation campaigns and their impact on democracy and the economy.
Demagog and the international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) will publish fact checks in Polish, Czech and Slovak. AFP will also work with the investigative group Bellingcat, based in the Netherlands, to produce several reports.
Tools to simplify and streamline the work of fact-checkers and to detect deepfakes will be developed and implemented by three technology entities: the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTUT), the Kempelen Institute of Intelligent Technologies (KInIT) in Slovakia and the Athens Technology Center (ATC) in Greece.
The consortium's media literacy activities will be coordinated and implemented by the NASK research institute.
The international think tank Globsec and the Slovak PR agency Seesame will be responsible for strategy and communication.
CEDMO cooperates and coordinates with the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and its regional centres across the EU. The Hub's activities are supported by funding from the European Commission.