Inside AFP

Belgium and Luxembourg are located at the confluence of multiple communities and cultures. Both capitals of multi-lingual states and headquarters of European institutions, Brussels and Luxembourg are places where disinformation can spread fast and have a major impact. EDMO BELUX has a major role to play in fighting disinformation in these territories through:

   ● A disinformation rapid response network: the platform will provide daily fact-checks, regular analysis and expertise to first responders of disinformation and citizens to better grasp the dangers of disinformation, tools to fight it, and factual information
   ● A knowledge hub with key resources to better understand disinformation and its impact
   ● A strong network of journalists, academics and experts that bring a coherent and collective response to disinformation.

Today EDMO BELUX launches its first actions available for Belgian and Luxembourgish citizens.

Disinformation rapid response on EDMO BELUX website, belux.edmo.eu
Through technology, disinformation and misinformation now travel at a very rapid pace. Even though it is impossible to fact-check or verify all information available online, EDMO BELUX has built strong partnerships with some key newsrooms active in this field: AFP (Agence France Presse), RTL Luxembourg and RTBF.
These three partners will provide daily fact-checks in five languages (English, Dutch, French, Luxembourgish, German) which will be published on EDMO BELUX website. They will reach first responders to disinformation (media, civil society, government) in order to minimise the impact of disinformation campaigns.
 

Expertise for all
Today, EDMO BELUX launches its website, belux.edmo.eu. It will be a repository of knowledge, gathering daily fact-checks, academic studies, media literacy material and more relevant content. Over the next few months, specific dossiers (combining our insights from fact-checking, investigations, research and media literacy) will progressively be published.

EDMO BELUX is also launching its social media channels. Its Twitter account @EDMO_BeLux will provide daily resources on disinformation in Belgium and Luxembourg. On LinkedIn EDMO BELUX will seek to engage with the numerous experts of both countries to bring a more collective response to disinformation.
 

Further actions to come
Today’s launches are the first steps of an ambitious action plan. In the next months, the EDMO BELUX hub will:
   ● publish 800 fact-checks in five languages (English, Dutch, French, Luxembourgish, German)
   ● conduct OSINT (open-source intelligence) investigations on disinformation campaigns
   ● develop and hold media literacy activities at community level in three languages (French, Dutch, Luxembourgish)
   ● deliver annual cross-community audience studies on impact of disinformation campaigns
   ● provide annual assessments of effectiveness of platform responses to disinformation.
 

Call for action: Join our community!
   ● Stakeholders and experts who would like to join the EDMO BELUX network can contact us via info-belux@edmo.eu or on Twitter @EDMO_BeLux.
   ● For more information about EDMO BELUX, you can also contact the lead coordinator, Trisha Meyer (trisha.meyer@vub.be).

By joining our EDMO BELUX network, you will gain access to useful resources that can help you understand and counter disinformation campaigns in Belgium and Luxembourg.

You will be able to make a difference by signaling and providing insight into any potential disinformation in your fields and networks. Your input is critical as it helps us prioritize our actions and respond faster.

We also seek to foster discussion within our community on how to improve our collective efforts in tackling disinformation. Nowadays we often work in silos, whether it’s by activities (fact-checking, research, media literacy) or language while disinformation effortlessly crosses boundaries. We look forward to getting your input on our thematic dossiers and plan a series of events to bring our community together in the upcoming months.
 

What is EDMO BELUX?
The European Digital Media Observatory for Belgium and Luxembourg (EDMO BELUX) is a hub for research on digital media and disinformation in Belgium and Luxembourg. EDMO BELUX operates in five languages (French, Dutch, Luxembourgish, English and German). This European Commission funded hub gathers a network of more than 100 disinformation experts. It is one of eight projects to have received EU funding to set up national and multinational observatories to counter disinformation.

Who are EDMO BELUX partners?

EDMO BELUX is a cross-community, multilingual collaboration between Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Université Saint-Louis - Bruxelles, Mediawijs, EU Disinfolab, Agence France-Presse, RTL Luxembourg, RTBF and Athens Technology Center.