Speakers
Jamie Fly
President, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Marie Bohner
Project Manager, First Draft News
Vera Jourova
Vice-President for Values and Transparency, European Commission
Moderator(S)
Paul Butcher
Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre
This online Policy Dialogue, organised in cooperation with the United States Mission to the European Union, focused on the ‘infodemic’ of disinformation that accompanied the COIVD-19 pandemic. It took a forward-looking approach, considering what lessons the experience of fighting disinformation during the pandemic period could hold for regulating social media platforms, countering hostile state influence operations, and supporting independent media. Vera Jourova, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, presented the joint response of the Commission and online platforms in combating virus-related disinformation, including outlining priorities for future regulatory efforts. Jamie Fly, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, discussed foreign state actors’ new online tactics in spreading disinformation in the US and the EU. Finally, Marie Bohner, Project Manager at First Draft, focused on citizens’ vulnerabilities to disinformation and its impact on the media sector. The event was moderated by Paul Butcher, EPC Policy Analyst.