There is an ongoing discussion in Germany about the influence of disinformation. Manipulated information creates the impression that it is genuine, verifiable news, but it is actually a means of deliberately spreading false and misleading information. According to a yet unpublished research by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, 84 per cent of the German population says that disinformation on the internet is a serious problem for our society. The aim of our project "Forum against Fakes – Together for a strong democracy" is to actively combat the threat posed by disinformation – because the spread of deliberate misinformation can undermine not only public trust in politics and the media, but also the process of democratic opinion-forming and decision-making.
"Forum against Fakes – Together for a strong democracy", a Germany-wide project run by Bertelsmann Stiftung in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Stiftung Mercator and the Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability, starts on 24. January 2024. It is supported by the news portal t-online and the initiative #UseTheNews. The aim of the project is to educate and inform citizens and raise awareness of the threat posed by disinformation. Besides federal and regional policymakers, other stakeholders such as internet platform operators, the media or civic society organisations are the target groups for the recommendations for action created in the forum.
