FACT-CHECKING AS A POLICY FOCUS IN THE EU

Abstract

Fact-checking is a popular journalistic format that is widely used across the European Union to react to disinformation and other false narratives spreading both in social networks and traditional media. To foster its uptake, the European Commission has included the support of fact-checking organizations, as well as a request for the integration of their services in online platform content moderation, in a number of its policy documents. The watchdog activities of fact-checkers thereby become part of the EU’s policy focus, allowing these organizations to shape policies – albeit not without certain impediments, given that many fact-checkers rely on funding from technology companies and the European institutions. The aim of this paper is to better understand the European fact checking landscape and to identify in what ways these organizations interact with EU policymakers, the ways EU institutions and the fact-checking community may influence each other, as well as the power dynamics between fact-checkers and online platforms.