Resilience Against Disinformation and Populism

"The ideal follower under totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the committed Communist, but rather those for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists."

A key challenge in digital discourse and media spaces is the sheer number of channels and opportunities available for the spread of disinformation to large audiences. Social media platforms, for example, complicate the evaluation of source credibility—"likes" and "followers" provide no reliable measure, and algorithms do not prioritize quality or accuracy. Traditional media, too, are increasingly challenged by disinformation propagated by populist politicians.

Less frequently acknowledged is that disinformation is a core element of the communication strategies employed by populists and right-wing extremists—or, as we prefer to call them, toxic narratives that corrode democratic values. These narratives, much like debris, block public discourse, pushing aside serious issues, truths, and constructive debates from the media agenda.

To prevent the erosion of democratic institutions, as witnessed in the United States, democracies must enhance the resilience of their public spheres. This resilience arises from the combined efforts of all sectors involved in public communication, from political public relations and journalism to social media platforms and the media literacy of citizens. Everyone participating in the democratic communication process can either become a gateway or a distributor of disinformation.

Through workshops and seminars, we work across various societal sectors to reinforce public resilience. Our partners include members of the European Commission, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, and ARD (including SWR, MDR, and others). We also collaborate with editorial teams, both in Germany and abroad (via institutions such as the Goethe Institutes and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation), as well as civil society organizations (such as the Israel Public Policy Institute), to develop strategies for countering disinformation, highlighting the role of fact-checking, and assessing the impact of regulatory initiatives.