ZAGREB, 11 Dec (Hina) - Creating and spreading disinformation directly threatens democracy, according to a conference held at Zagreb's Faculty of Political Science (FPZG).
Organised with the Gong NGO under the FaktaPolitika project, the event stressed the role of politicians, media, journalists and citizens in preventing manipulation.
The conference "Young Fighters Against Disinformation – Fact-Checking in a Democracy in Crisis" highlighted that disinformation, especially during elections, undermines democratic values and that young people must not face it alone.
Milica Bogdanović from Gong noted that electoral cycles have seen repeated attempts to manipulate voters online, though not all actors bear equal responsibility. Politicians, candidates for high office and those already in power are most responsible, as are media outlets that merely copy unverified claims instead of checking them.
Kristian Došen of the FPZG emphasised journalists' and editors' responsibility, stating that fact-checking should be inherent to every journalist and every citizen consuming information. Nikola Baketa from the Institute for Social Research stressed the broader impact of negative narratives, while Marko Roško from the University of Dubrovnik called disinformation inherently malicious.
Earlier research by Gong and the FPZG showed that disinformation spreads most through mainstream media, particularly via right-wing populists. Kosta Bovan, FPZG professor and co-author of "Croatian Voters – 30 Years of Political Behaviour and Opinion", noted that young people's political behaviour is similar to previous generations, though slightly more inclined towards Christian democracy than social democracy.
Students participating in the project, including Karla Sabljić and Nikola Stipić, highlighted that fact-checking is laborious, often met with vague or no responses from those making the claims. Mario Munta of the FPZG added that political statements during elections often require deeper analysis, as seemingly accurate claims can be impossible to fully verify.
Over 60 students participated in the fact-checking process, a key educational value of the FaktaPolitika project, said Milica Vučković, FPZG vice-dean for students, internationalisation and communications.
