Norway Bolsters European Efforts to Combat Disinformation Under New Democratic Pact

In a world increasingly shaped by digital platforms, young voices are emerging as critical defenders of truth and information integrity. This was evident at a recent round-table discussion in Strasbourg hosted by the Norwegian presidency of the Group of Friends on the Safety of Journalists and Media Freedom, which brought together young Norwegian free speech advocates and winners of the annual “Free Word” essay competition.

The event, titled “Fake or fact? How to combat disinformation in democratic societies,” delved into the complex relationship between disinformation and democratic participation. It highlighted how misleading information undermines public trust in institutions and explored strategies to counter these threats.

“Where information comes from, different sources and who says what, has on a personal and collective level, formed our understanding of reality,” wrote Vy An Doan, one of the essay competition winners who focused her work on the question of “who owns the truth.”

Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge set a sobering tone in his opening remarks, emphasizing the human cost of disinformation. “Disinformation often turns real people into victims of technology deliberately misused. Disconnecting us, polarising society, reinforcing insecurities, feeding hate,” Berge said.

While acknowledging the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in making fake information more sophisticated and difficult to detect, Berge also pointed to AI’s potential as part of the solution. “AI can help detect disinformation and enhance our fact-checking efforts. We must therefore use AI as a weapon against the spread of malicious disinformation,” he noted.

The urgency of addressing disinformation was underscored by Ambassador Pap Ndiaye, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe and Vice Chair of the Group of Friends on the Safety of Journalists and Media Freedom. Ndiaye revealed that France has been the second-largest target of hostile information operations in Europe in 2024, trailing only Ukraine, according to the European External Action Service’s third report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Threats.

The panel discussion featured several winners of Norway’s “Free Word” competition, including Theodor Slaaen Borge, Vy An Doan, Alexander Røed Tjøsvoll, and Helleik Gram Kleivan, alongside policy experts Louisa Børresen, Deputy to the Permanent Representative of Norway to the Council of Europe, and Tatiana Monney, Policy Advisor for the New Democratic Pact.

The event comes at a time when European institutions are mobilizing to protect information integrity. The Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe offers member states and partners an opportunity to develop and implement solutions that help institutions adapt to rapidly evolving threats in the information landscape. The pact aims to ensure digital technologies serve as positive forces for democracy and public discourse.

In a parallel initiative, the Council of Europe has launched the RESIST project (Strengthening Societal Resilience to Disinformation in Europe), funded by the EEA and Norway Grants. This project specifically targets building resilience against disinformation, with a particular emphasis on empowering young people through media and information literacy.

The involvement of young essay competition winners in this high-level discussion reflects a growing recognition that combating disinformation requires intergenerational dialogue and fresh perspectives. As digital natives, young people bring unique insights into how information flows through online spaces and how misinformation can be countered at its source.

This Strasbourg gathering represents just one facet of Europe’s multi-pronged approach to protecting information integrity in an increasingly complex digital landscape, where the battle for truth has become central to preserving democratic institutions and social cohesion.