In a text written for the FNF East and Southeast Europe Regional Office, Serbian economist Mihailo Gajic analyzes the danger of disinformation spread by governments based on the case of Serbia. He closely observes the causes of the presidents strong control over Serbian media and suggests several measures that may help to overcome this control.
India passed the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2005 which gave the hope of transparency and accountability to its citizens. Since its adoption, the act has helped in highlighting frauds and enabled citizens to hold public authorities accountable for their actions. However, over time the essence of the RTI Act has been systematically eroded.
Sri Lanka reported its first case of COVID-19 in early February in 2020. There was a rapid increase in the number of cases from March till May. However, health authorities were able to manage the situation and the country is now in a better position compared to many other neighboring countries.
Even when new infection numbers were at their worst, conspiracy theories were a fringe phenomenon in South Korea. Some of the key reasons are governmental credibility, a fact-checking effort and high level of public trust. Reckless and psychologically damaged agitators that have found an audience in Germany are less of a threat in South Korea.
Pro-Russian and pro-Chinese sources are leading “coordinated campaigns” aiming to erode trust in the European Union and the bloc’s crisis management, as well as to divert attention from Chinese mishandling of the health crisis, according to a special report by the European External Action Service, released at the end of April.
Communicating via messenger services opens many doors: keeping close contact with international friends and family, organising club outings or political parties and subscribing to media outlets. The possibilities are endless.
