Nikos Sarris

EBU handbook on legal and ethical obligations in AI development released VERification Assisted by AI. R&D & innovation co-funded by the HorizonEU. Continuing WeVerify work. And much more!

New handbook published by @ebu.ch - the title sums it up: "Handbook on the legal and ethical obligations to developers and deployers of AI-based fact-checking tools".
Available for download.

NEW: Our Media Plurality Report 2024 is out!
We take a close look at the state of news media in Greece, Cyprus & Malta.
🗞️ Main media market characteristics
🔒 How free is the press?
🎙️ Are all voices being heard?
👉 Full report here: meddmo.eu/meddmo-media...

DW and EBU present: webinar no. 8 on co-creation and participatory design VERification Assisted by AI. R&D & innovation co-funded by the HorizonEU. Continuing WeVerify work. And much more!

Here's the recording and slides from our webinar no. 8 that took place on 3 Sep 2025, brought to you by @ebu.ch. In it, Anna Schild (@dw-innovation.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy) and the EBU's Lalya Gaye talk about co-creation and evaluation for AI-based services for fact-checking.

If the recording isn't enough: in this article we also include presentations as they were given, plus some context on the webinar and its contents. Topic: #verification tools and services for practitioners (or in fact anyone involved in countering #disinformation).

Disinformation often triggers strong emotions. It can spread quickly when people react with outrage, excitement, or shock. But just because something is viral doesn't mean it's true.
Share this postcard with someone you care about and learn more at: meddmo.eu/be-online-sm...

Be Online Smart

🥁 We're thrilled to launch #BeOnlineSmart – a new EU-wide #medialiteracy campaign by EDMO & its 14 Hubs! 🚀

Throughout May, our network will engage w/ citizens across the #EU to raise awareness about 𝗵𝗼𝘄 #𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗺𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. More info & free materials: edmo.eu/beonlinesmart 💡

vera.ai presents its outcomes - and invites you all to attend two webinars! VERification Assisted by AI. R&D & innovation co-funded by the HorizonEU. Continuing WeVerify work. And much more!

We're inviting the #verification, #factchecking and #disinformation detection community to 2 workshops in which we showcase veraAI results: 17 June is targeting #journalists and #factcheckers; 24 June focusses on the R&D community. Both events run from 2-5 pm. Registration required. See you soon!? 😃

Community Notes citing fact-checkers are rated as more useful & more likely to be displayed. Yet, 85% remain hidden as X prioritises “consensus” over accuracy.

New @maldita.es.web.brid.gy report, analysed by @tommasocanetta.bsky.social, shows the fact-checkers key role on X.

🔗 loom.ly/NKHbW88

Scammers targeting local events in Malta are becoming increasingly sophisticated and prevalent. The University of Malta has warned about numerous fake pages and profiles actively targeting individuals interested in these events.
Read the full report here:
meddmo.eu/fact-check-m...

On March 7, MedDMO joined the Information & Disinformation in the Age of AI workshop held in the Region of Central Macedonia. Nikos Sarris showcased our latest tools, engaging with journalists & Gen Z on AI fact-checking, media literacy & the fight against disinformation.

Really proud to have worked on this documentary, it'll be broadcast throughout Europe this month, with the Netherlands broadcast tomorrow at 20:30pm CET.

In 2014, Malta launched a national strategy aiming to cut road fatalities by 50% by 2024. But has the country managed to stay on track? Read the full investigation here: meddmo.eu/fact-check-m...

Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump’s orders National Science Foundation staff have been combing through thousands of active science research projects, alongside a list of keywords, to determine if they include activities that violate Trump’s ex...

The attack on the 🇺🇸 National Science Foundation and it’s projects is an attack on free and independent science.

www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

Google drops pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance Google changed its public AI policies to remove assertions it would not develop AI applied to surveillance or weapons.

Google drops pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

A report reveals that Meta earned ~$338K from ads linked to the "Doppelganger" disinfo network, which targeted European users with anti-Ukraine propaganda. Despite being sanctioned, the group continued to operate on Facebook. Read more here: meddmo.eu/meta-profits...

Fact Check: Photo Of Firefighters On Top Of Plane In River Is NOT Real -- AI Generated
#CheckTok #Washington #Photo #FactCheck #PlaneCrash #Wreck #River #Firefighters
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...

Ros Atkins on...24 hours on Elon Musk's X timeline The BBC's Analysis editor, Ros Atkins, investigates Elon Musk's recent posts on X about grooming gangs - and looks at how one day unfolded on his timeline.

Elon Musk has had a lot to say about the grooming gangs scandal. We looked at 24 hours on Musk's X timeline and found a range of false and misleading information being amplified. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

"We are Bellingcat" Q&A session with Eliot Higgins Stage Talks with Bellingcat · Episode

We ended last year with a special live Q&A with our founder @eliothiggins.bsky.social covering everything from the conflict in Syria to AI. Listen back for some invaluable tips on getting started in open source research on any podcast platform including Spotify here: open.spotify.com/episode/0Vwb...

Google searches for deleting Facebook, Instagram explode after Meta ends fact-checking Google searches for how to cancel and delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts have seen explosive rises in the U.S. since Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will end its third-party fact-checking system, loosen content moderation…

Google searches for deleting Facebook, Instagram explode after Meta ends fact-checking

Let’s fact-check Mark Zuckerberg’s fact-checking announcement Zuckerberg didn’t mention that a big chunk of the content fact-checkers have been flagging is not political speech, but the low-quality spammy clickbait that Meta platforms have commodified.

meta follows the X path www.niemanlab.org/2025/01/zuck...

More than 140 Kenya Facebook moderators diagnosed with severe PTSD Exclusive: Diagnoses part of lawsuit being brought against parent company Meta and outsourcer Samasource Kenya

More than 140 Facebook content moderators have been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder caused by exposure to graphic social media content including murders, suicides, child sexual abuse and terrorism. www.theguardian.com/media/2024/d...

Combating Russia’s Global Disinformation Campaign Western media outlets need to expand and enhance their outreach to the Global South.

My prediction then: bad actors would create their own fact-checking organizations and blockchains.

And now, Russia is establishing the "Global Fact-Checking Network," which people will confuse with the "International Fact-Checking Network":
nationalinterest.org/feature/comb...

OpenAI's Sora Is Here. There Is Still Time To Prepare For The Threat Such Technologies Pose | TechPolicy.Press WITNESS executive director Sam Gregory says there are fundamental gaps in access to detection tools that disadvantage journalists and civil society.

OpenAI’s #Sora and #Ai tech like it represent a step change in generative video. For @techpolicypress.bsky.social I highlight key risks and fundamental inequitable gaps in access to detection tools. But ... there is time to address this and other threats www.techpolicy.press/openais-sora...