Event

28.05.2020 - COVID-19 Infodemic: Push and Pull factors

21.05.2020

28 May 2020, 10:00 am – 11:00 am CET

The event was held as a virtual meeting via Zoom, live-streamed on GLOBSEC’s social media channels.

This event was the first in a series of Ideas for Resilient Democracies (follow the hashtag #ResilientDemocracy) on the driving factors behind the rapid spread of viral false stories and conspiracies related to COVID-19.

As the corona pandemic starts to retreat and countries are starting to open their economies, false stories, hoaxes, and manipulative stories related to COVID-19 are spreading like wildfire. Viral videos, claims of dark conspiracies, and promises of miraculous treatments reach the all-time high. While some hoped that the global pandemic would increase the trust in facts and science, the opposite seems to be happening right before our eyes.

  • What are the main push and pull factors driving the spread of such false theories and narratives?  
  • What are the vulnerable spots in our societies and how to close them? 
  • Is there any coordination between state and non-state actors?  
  • How should the EU and its member states protect their citizens from information viruses?
  • What impact would the infodemic have on the new EU digital services directive, if any?

Speakers: 

Naja Bentzen, Policy Analyst, European Parliament Research Service

Naďa Kovalčíková, Program Manager, Alliance for Securing Democracy, GMF, Brussels

Peter Kreko, Director, Political Capital Institute, Budapest

Moderator:

Miroslava Sawiris, Research Fellow, Democracy & Resilience Programme, GLOBSEC

You can read a short brief with the output ideas of this webinar here.

You can watch the video with the full recording below.

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