Public and policy debate about migration is frequently subject to disinformation narratives that seek to promote divisions, sometimes with serious political consequences. In response to this challenge, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the European Policy Centre have come together in a new research project to explore the potential of ‘forecasting’ and ‘prebunking’ in countering disinformation. The project builds on the results of an earlier collaboration that developed recommendations for fighting disinformation with alternative narratives.
This new project looks into ways to counteract disinformation and hostile narratives about migration through pre-emptive strategies: not debunking, but prebunking false narratives before they gain traction. The first component of this approach centres on the use of ‘forecasting’ or foresight techniques to monitor, identify and seek to pre-empt disinformation narratives about migration. The project’s second component looks into ways to strengthen societal resilience in the long-term, especially through media literacy and other education campaigns, to address the specific challenges raised by disinformation about migration.
The end result of the project will be an EPC Discussion Paper authored by two EPC Policy Analysts representing the European Migration and Diversity and European Politics and Institutions programmes respectively. The project will also involve two high-level closed-door roundtable discussions where a variety of stakeholders will be invited to consider the state of play and prospects for promoting a more balanced debate on migration.