ELECTIONS AND MEDIA: NEWEST CHALLENGES, THREATS, AND RESPONSE

For participation in the expert discussion, either online or offline, please contact Dr. Volodymyr Venher via email at volodymyr.venher@law.ox.ac.uk

The war in Ukraine and recent election campaigns  have exacerbated the need to counter information attacks and aggressive propaganda. Non democratic regimes have escalated its methods and tools of spreading disinformation to an unprecedented scale. These mechanisms are employed not only in Ukrainian information battlefield but also in the European Union and all over the world. The information war against democratic values becomes especially critical in the context of electoral processes. Actors opposed to democracy and its principles, use various disinformation methods to interfere in the electoral process. These tactics include spreading fake news about candidates, manipulating public opinion through social media, and undermining the integrity of election systems and processes. Such actions erode, citizens' trust in electoral processes and democratic institutions in general. To address these threats, it is crucial to implement effective measures to protect elections process from disinformation and external interference. Such measures may include:

• Voters Awareness and Education: raising awareness among voters and promoting media literacy both in the short and long-term , to help individuals recognise and counter disinformation;
• Cybersecurity of Electoral Infrastructure: strengthen the digital resilience of election infrastructure to prevent cyber attacks and manipulations.
• Fostering a Healthy Digital Environment: Encouraging responsible digital behaviour and combating the spread of harmful content online.

The expert discussion "Elections and Media: Newest Challenges, Threats, and Response" aims at bringing together scholars and experts from European countries. The focus of this discussion is to address the critical issues and challenges confronted by modern democracies in organizing and conducting elections and referenda in the 21st century. Discussions will seek to explore academic views on potential multilevel strategies to safeguard the integrity of elections, promote healthy pluralism and democratic processes free from manipulation and foreign interference.

The first section of the expert discussion will focus on a healthy media environment in election campaigns, addressing current challenges and threats.

The second section will explore the building trustworthy election campaigns by combating disinformation, misinformation, hate speech, and manipulations.