Free, independent, and pluralistic media are fundamental to the integrity, credibility, and legitimacy of democratic elections. Across the OSCE region, however, elections are increasingly taking place in a complex and highly contested information environment marked by disinformation campaigns, foreign information manipulation and interference, political polarization, and the growing use of artificial intelligence to generate and amplify deceptive content. At the same time, responses to these challenges must remain firmly grounded in OSCE commitments related to freedom of expression, media pluralism, and the rule of law.
Against this background, this side event convenes experts to discuss how participating States can effectively address election-related disinformation while safeguarding media freedom, protecting freedom of expression and strengthening public trust in democratic processes. The event takes place within the framework of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media’s Structured Dialogues on Media Freedom and Security, which bring together stakeholders from across sectors to address emerging challenges at the intersection of media freedom, democracy, and comprehensive security. Building on previous Structured Dialogues exploring disinformation as a multidimensional security challenge, this discussion will examine how participating States can strengthen electoral integrity and societal resilience while ensuring that efforts to address disinformation remain consistent with OSCE commitments and international standards on freedom of expression and media freedom.
Lisa Ginsborg from the EDMO team participated to the Expert Panel of the event.