From the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to climate disasters and the elections in Germany, the United States and at European level: The recent past was formed by occasions with enormous potential for disinformation. To neutralize the dissemination of such disinformation, GADMO– an alliance between the Institute of Journalism and the Department of Stats at TU Dortmund University, the fact-checking editorial groups at the German Press Firm (dpa), Agence France-Presse (AFP), Austria Press Agency (APA) and CORRECTIV, as well as AIT Austrian Institute of Technology– has been working together for practically 3 years. GADMO belongs to the Europe-wide “European Digital Media Observatory” (EDMO), which is funded by the European Commission and covers all 27 EU member states and Norway.
Know what’s fact
Since its launch, GADMO has actually developed itself as the very first port of call for truth checks and scientific analysis in the location of disinformation. Amongst the milestones achieved so far are an extensive online truth inspect archive with more than 3,800 articles. Each month, around a hundred new reality checks are added that help users to debunk false assertions. The GADMO team also provides video training courses for numerous target groups: Youths discover the fundamentals, i.e. how to compare disinformation and trustworthy sources, while media specialists get more extensive assistance with analyzing AI-generated material and using digital research study tools.
GADMO has launched the second phase of the project under the brand-new motto “Know what’s reality”. In addition to traditional fact-checking, the focus will now move to investigative research study, scientific analysis, and media literacy offerings for parents and older target groups. The brand-new “GADMO Quick” format will feature a monthly examination of the work of all certified German-language fact-checking organizations. The results of the joint work will be revealed on a devoted Instagram channel. “With the largest German-language fact-checking hub and brand-new formats such as the GADMO Brief, the network is showing how powerful cooperation can be,” states Teresa Dapp, head of the dpa’s fact-checking team. “In the next phase of the job, we want to reach even more people– on the channels that relate to them.” In the area of media literacy, the team at the Institute for Journalism will evaluate existing programs to figure out whether they are suitable for instructor training trainees and for usage in school lessons. In addition, the IJ group will curate the materials, translate them if necessary, and prepare them in such a method that instructors can easily use them in class.
Positive interim result in spite of challenges
After the very first funding duration, the GADMO team can report a positive interim outcome. It is, however, worried about current developments, specifically at big tech companies such as Meta, as the termination of the fact-checking program in the United States could possibly have an impact on Europe also. “In the shape of GADMO, we have actually successfully produced numerous outputs to combat disinformation campaigns– a site with many truth checks, media literacy products and research results with a strong useful focus. We are especially delighted about the many synergies we have been able to harness in cooperation with our partners. At the very same time, truth checkers are currently under tremendous pressure and exposed to attacks– something we find very distressing,” says Teacher Christina Elmer from the Institute of Journalism, the planner of the GADMO project. “In research, too, we still deal with significant obstacles– for instance, when it’s a matter of accessing and analyzing platform data. This makes it all the more essential for us to be able to continue with GADMO and carry on marketing together for fact-based social discourse in the digital space.”
The GADMO team was especially active around the time of elections. In 2024, the “super election year” that saw the European elections and elections in 3 of Germany’s federal states, a GADMO Report seriously examined how large platform operators, who had signed a statement of dedication as part of the Code of Practice, dealt with politically encouraged disinformation. In spite of the procedures revealed, especially in view of the elections, there was proof of politically inspired deepfakes and canvassing that was not labeled as such. Prior to Germany’s federal elections in February, GADMO released a weekly newsletter on the flow of fake news, which reached around 4,000 customers and highlighted, to name a few problems, recurring narratives such as allegations of election rigging.
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