Disinformation has become one of the most pressing challenges in the digital era. Whether it’s fake news, propaganda, or manipulated media, the spread of false information threatens democracy, social cohesion, and public trust.
To give you an idea, according to the Pew Research Center, one in five Americans receive their daily news intake from social media platforms. In that same survey, 64 percent of adults said “fake news” caused confusion on basic facts, and 23 percent said they had shared “fake news,” either knowingly or unknowingly.
In the past few years also Europe has been a frequent target of disinformation campaigns, with foreign actors leveraging digital platforms to sow discord, influence elections, and erode public confidence in institutions.
If we want to address this issue, we will have to choose for a proactive approach, particularly within (digital) education, to equip individuals with the skills to critically assess and counter misinformation.
In this article we will show you some past disinformation campaigns in Europe, how they were countered (or not), the risks of unchecked disinformation, and how education can play a pivotal role in combating it.
And of course we will give you 20 resources you can use in class to fight disinformation.
- 1 Notable Disinformation Campaigns in Europe
- 2 The Risks of Unchecked Disinformation
- 3 Addressing Disinformation in Education
- 3.0.1 1. Education as a Key Platform to Fight Disinformation
- 3.0.2 2. Media Literacy in School Curricula
- 3.0.3 3. Strengthening Critical Thinking Skills
- 3.0.4 4. Fact-Checking as a Core Skill
- 3.0.5 5. Leveraging Educational Technology
- 3.0.6 6. Teaching About Algorithms and AI
- 3.0.7 7. Raising Awareness of Cognitive Biases
- 3.0.8 8. Cross-Disciplinary Integration
- 4 Digital Skills Needed To Battle Disinformation
- 5 20 Free Resources to Fight Disinformation
- 6 Disinformation, a Growing Threat That Requires Immediate Action
Notable Disinformation Campaigns in Europe
1. Russian Disinformation Campaign “DoppelGänger”
In 2024, an extensive Russian disinformation operation called “DoppelGänger” was exposed. It involved fake websites and social media profiles mimicking trusted European news outlets and government institutions.
The campaign aimed to distort public opinion and create social divisions. European authorities countered it through coordinated cybersecurity efforts and public awareness campaigns, emphasising the importance of verifying sources.
2. Pro-Kremlin Disinformation Efforts
Russia’s long-term disinformation strategy in Europe focuses on destabilising democratic institutions. The European Union established the East StratCom Task Force in 2015 to track and debunk Russian disinformation, exposing false narratives and improving digital resilience across member states.
3. COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation
During the pandemic, Russian-linked networks spread false claims about Western vaccines. A Russian-founded advertising firm, AdNow, also disseminated misleading information in Romania and Bulgaria to support pro-Putin candidates around that period.
European authorities countered this by launching fact-checking campaigns and strengthening regulatory oversight of digital advertising.
4. AI-Generated Content in Political Campaigns
Far-right parties in Europe, including Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), have used AI-generated media to promote anti-immigrant narratives. These disinformation tactics raise ethical concerns about AI’s role in shaping political discourse. Social media platforms and regulatory bodies have initiated investigations to curb such deceptive practices.
5. Fake News Targeting Germany
In April 2024, fabricated news articles falsely attributed to Der Spiegel circulated online, criticising the German government. While German authorities worked to debunk these stories, the spread of such content showed the persistent vulnerability of even established democracies to disinformation.
These are just a few examples from Europe. When you look on a worldwide scale, the disinformation phenomenon is everywhere of course.
The Risks of Unchecked Disinformation
If left unaddressed, disinformation poses severe risks to society:
- Political Manipulation: Foreign and domestic actors can manipulate public opinion, influencing elections and policy decisions.
- Public Health Threats: False information about vaccines and medical treatments can lead to declining trust in health institutions and lower vaccination rates.
- Erosion of Trust in Media and Institutions: Widespread misinformation fosters cynicism, leading people to distrust legitimate news sources and democratic institutions.
- Social Division and Polarisation: Disinformation often exploits societal fault lines, fueling conflicts and reducing consensus on key issues.
Addressing Disinformation in Education
Integrating digital literacy into education is one of the most effective ways to combat disinformation. Here are key strategies:
1. Education as a Key Platform to Fight Disinformation
Education is one of the most effective and sustainable platforms to combat disinformation. Schools and universities serve as foundational institutions where students develop critical thinking skills and digital literacy, preparing them to navigate the information landscape responsibly.
By fostering analytical skills early on, education provides a long-term solution to the challenge of misinformation. Unlike temporary policy responses or platform regulations, an educated population is permanently equipped to discern truth from falsehood.
Moreover, teachers play a crucial role in guiding discussions on media literacy, helping students recognize bias and manipulation tactics. This makes education an essential defense mechanism against disinformation.
2. Media Literacy in School Curricula
Schools must embed media literacy across subjects to help students critically analyse and assess online content. The UK, for example, has updated its school curriculum to teach children as young as five to recognise extremist content and misinformation.
3. Strengthening Critical Thinking Skills
Encouraging students to question sources, identify bias, and verify claims fosters skepticism towards misleading narratives. Fact-checking exercises help reinforce these habits.
4. Fact-Checking as a Core Skill
Teachers can introduce fact-checking activities where students verify real-world news articles using reputable platforms. This practice helps them differentiate between reliable and misleading sources.
5. Leveraging Educational Technology
Digital tools like the Checkology virtual classroom provide interactive lessons on misinformation and bias detection, improving students’ ability to navigate digital content responsibly.
6. Teaching About Algorithms and AI
Students should understand how search engines and social media algorithms influence the information they consume. Recognising the impact of filter bubbles helps them seek diverse perspectives.
7. Raising Awareness of Cognitive Biases
Educators should discuss cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias and motivated reasoning, which affect how people interpret information. Awareness of these biases enables students to think more objectively.
8. Cross-Disciplinary Integration
Disinformation literacy shouldn’t be confined to one subject. History, science, and social studies teachers can all incorporate digital literacy discussions relevant to their fields.
Digital Skills Needed To Battle Disinformation
To effectively combat misinformation, you must develop a robust set of digital skills that enhance your ability to critically assess and verify information encountered online. Key competencies include:
1. Digital Literacy
Digital literacy encompasses the ability to locate, evaluate, and utilise information effectively. It involves understanding how digital platforms operate, recognising the role of algorithms in content dissemination, and being aware of the potential for echo chambers and filter bubbles. Enhancing digital literacy enables you to navigate the online information landscape more discerningly.
Example: Understanding how social media algorithms prioritise content can help you recognise why certain posts appear more frequently in your feed, enabling you to critically assess the information presented.
2. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking involves analysing information objectively, assessing the credibility of sources, and identifying logical fallacies or biases. By questioning the validity of information and considering multiple perspectives, you can better discern fact from misinformation. Educational initiatives are increasingly focusing on fostering critical thinking skills to empower individuals against falsehoods.
Example: When encountering a sensational news story, you might question its credibility by checking the author’s credentials, seeking out multiple reputable sources, and evaluating the evidence provided before accepting it as true.
3. Media Literacy
Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in various forms. It includes understanding the techniques used in media production and the intentions behind them. By developing media literacy, you can critically engage with content and recognise potential misinformation.
Example: By analysing a news article’s language and identifying persuasive techniques, you can discern potential biases or underlying agendas, leading to a more informed interpretation of the content.
4. Fact-Checking Proficiency
Being proficient in fact-checking involves using tools and methodologies to verify information before accepting or sharing it. This includes utilising reverse image searches, consulting reputable fact-checking organisations, and cross-referencing information across multiple credible sources. Developing these skills helps prevent the spread of misinformation.
Example: Before sharing a viral image, you could use reverse image search tools to verify its origin and context, ensuring it’s not misleading or taken out of context.
5. Understanding of Algorithms and AI
A comprehension of how algorithms and artificial intelligence influence the information you see online is crucial. Recognizing that content curation on social media and search engines can create personalised information ecosystems will help you remain vigilant against potential biases and misinformation.
Example: Recognising that a search engine tailors results based on your previous searches can prompt you to seek information from diverse sources, mitigating the risk of echo chambers.
6. Emotional Regulation
Misinformation often exploits emotional responses to spread rapidly. By being aware of your emotional reactions to content and taking a moment to assess information critically before reacting or sharing, you can reduce the impact of misinformation.
Example: If a social media post elicits a strong emotional reaction, pausing to reflect on why it affects you and considering the possibility of manipulative intent can prevent impulsive sharing of potential misinformation.
20 Free Resources to Fight Disinformation
We selected the below 20 resources to provide teachers with a comprehensive toolkit to empower students (and teachers!) with the skills necessary to critically assess information. In short they will help enhance media literacy and critical thinking.
- Teaching Media Literacy Skills in a Fake News World
- This course offers strategies to effectively teach critical media literacy skills, enabling educators to lead students in analyzing and evaluating media content.
- Battling Misinformation in the Classroom: Course for Teachers
- Aimed at secondary school teachers, this course covers the concepts of misinformation, its various forms, causes, and consequences, and provides materials to implement media education in digital verification.
- Misinfo 101: Help Students Steer Clear of Misinformation
- Hosted on the Checkology virtual classroom, this course includes lessons and activities designed to help students identify and debunk misinformation, understand conspiratorial thinking, and evaluate evidence and claims.
- Critical Thinking for Media Literacy and Fake News
- This course delves into media literacy, the basics of fake news, and effective teaching strategies, emphasizing the five components of media literacy education.
- Fighting Misinformation: Digital Media Literacy
- Offered by The Great Courses, this program teaches how to distinguish between misinformation and disinformation and explores the ways in which misinformation spreads.
- Teaching Media Literacy, “Fake News,” and Disinformation
- A resource guide providing lessons, activities, and materials to help educators teach students how to identify and avoid false information.
- Disinformation, Misinformation & Fake News – FutureLearn
- This online course from the University of Michigan helps learners spot fake news and combat disinformation in today’s complex information landscape.
- Teaching Media Literacy in a Fake News World
- This course investigates media literacy, fake news basics, and engaging teaching strategies, uncovering reliable methods for educating students about fake news.
- News Literacy Project
- An American nonprofit offering resources like the Checkology virtual classroom to help educators and students learn to identify credible information and recognize misinformation.
- Disinformation Attack Defense Measures
- This Wikipedia resource discusses educational strategies and awareness programs to combat disinformation, including media literacy education and critical thinking skill development.
- Confirmation and Other Biases
- A lesson from Facing History and Ourselves that explores how biases affect news creation and consumption, helping students understand the impact of confirmation bias.
- Verifying Online News
- Another lesson from Media Smarts, this activity involves reviewing news accounts to understand how complex stories unfold over time and the importance of verification.
- Spot the Troll
- An online quiz where students examine real social media content to decide whether it’s from a legitimate account or an internet troll, enhancing their ability to detect disinformation.
- Post Facto
- A game focused on prebunking strategies, helping students understand and anticipate common disinformation tactics before encountering them.
- Calling Bull
- An open-access course syllabus that teaches students to spot and refute misleading information, fostering critical thinking and analytical skills.
- Citizen Literacy
- An online toolkit featuring short videos, handouts, and activities designed to enhance students’ media literacy and ability to critically assess information.
- Media Literacy Toolkit
- A collection of resources aimed at helping educators teach students how to critically evaluate media messages and understand the role of media in society.
- Digital Literacy and Fake News
- A course that explores the concept of fake news, its impact on society, and strategies for developing digital literacy skills to combat misinformation.
- Understanding Media Bias
- A lesson plan that helps students identify different types of media bias and understand how they can affect the presentation and perception of news.
- Evaluating Online Sources
- An activity that teaches students how to assess the credibility of online information sources, focusing on factors like author expertise, evidence, and objectivity.
Additionally we also advise the following videos which you can use in the classroom.
Disinformation, a Growing Threat That Requires Immediate Action
Disinformation is a growing threat that requires immediate action. While governments and media platforms play a role in countering it, education remains the most sustainable solution.
Equipping students with critical thinking, media literacy, and fact-checking skills remains key. Without these efforts, the risks of political instability, social fragmentation, and public distrust will continue to rise.
Addressing disinformation in schools is not just an option – it is a necessity for safeguarding democracy and informed decision-making in the digital age.