Disinformation – who makes money from it and how to defend yourself? Watch the debate!

During the discussion, participants pointed out that disinformation is not only an industry problem, but a real threat to society, the economy and public health. This phenomenon leads to financial losses, influences citizens' decisions and may even lead people to the streets. Journalists emphasized that the fight against disinformation is becoming one of the key challenges of contemporary media.

Disinformation is starting to win over information. Lies and fake news have become a tool for making huge money and are used by politicians, interest groups and owners of social media platforms.

– said Agnieszka Gozdyra. The debate participants agreed that the media are today the last resort in defending the truth, although their role is becoming more and more difficult in the face of the powerful disinformation machine and big tech algorithms.

Barbara Kasprzycka pointed out that politicians are increasingly using disinformation as a tool to achieve political goals. She also emphasized that the media must be particularly responsible for the content they transmit and cannot be uncritical towards information from various sources.

During the debate, the topic of disinformation in the area of ​​health and business was also discussed. Marek Twaróg noted that health disinformation may be even more dangerous than political disinformation because it directly affects people's lives and health. Participants agreed that emotions fuel false information, and the truth is often "boring" and harder to break through.

Michał Potocki reminded that disinformation is also a geopolitical tool and was used long before the era of the Internet. Today, however, its scale and scope are incomparably greater, and the fight against it requires international cooperation and new regulations.

An important topic of the debate was the role of media education. Journalists emphasized that raising social awareness and learning critical thinking are key to building resistance to disinformation. It was noted that education should cover not only young people, but also seniors, who are particularly vulnerable to false content on the Internet.

The debate participants agreed that the media must constantly verify information, explain facts and strive to regain public trust. At the same time, it was noted that the fight against disinformation also requires the involvement of the state and international organizations, which should introduce regulations regarding the activities of social media platforms.

The debate was the beginning of the joint "Media against disinformation" campaign, under which the editorial offices will publish materials devoted to this phenomenon for the next three months. The aim of the initiative is to show that disinformation does not have to have the last word, and reliable journalism still plays a key role in society.

From November 5, materials marked with the slogan of the "Media Against Disinformation" campaign will be published on radio, television, press, the Internet and social media.