It covers monitoring across four election cycles: elections for the Croatian Parliament, European Parliament, presidential elections, and local elections, all within the upcoming super-election year of 2024.
Implemented by the Croatian Public Relations Association (HUOJ) in collaboration with professionals from Lider Media and experts from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb, the project aligns closely with national and European initiatives to combat misinformation and strengthen democratic processes.
According to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NN 78/21), project activities are based on the Croatian government’s decision regarding the management system and monitoring of activities under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for the period 2021-2026. This framework supports various initiatives aimed at societal recovery, including efforts to combat misinformation.
The project’s multidimensional approach includes:
- Combating misinformation in the context of elections: Emphasizing the importance of verifying media facts during electoral cycles due to public distrust in traditional media and institutions. Economic and economic themes will be monitored and false claims will be deconstructed and fact-checked by experts, reflecting the requirements of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
- Collaboration with the European Commission: The project proposal aligns with recommendations and policies from the European Commission to combat misinformation, including recommendations from the High-Level Expert Group on Fake News and Online Disinformation and the Action Plan against Disinformation.
- Promoting free and fair elections: Focused on enhancing public awareness about misinformation and strengthening media freedom through partnerships with relevant organizations.
- Multidimensional problem-solving approach: Recognizing the importance of a multifaceted approach to addressing misinformation, including increasing transparency of online platforms, promoting media literacy, developing tools to combat misinformation, and protecting media pluralism and sustainability.
Through these efforts, the “Enhancing Fact-Checking Culture” project integrates with national and European initiatives to strengthen democratic processes, combat misinformation, and promote transparency and media literacy.
Public vigilance towards information disseminated during elections is crucial, as unchecked misinformation can manipulate public perception and influence electoral outcomes. Educating the public on identifying and combating the mechanisms of misinformation is essential for safeguarding democratic integrity.
Over the project’s anticipated 24-month duration, it aims to foster quality journalism, enhance societal resilience against misinformation, and conduct educational activities in six counties and seven cities.
