German-Austrian Digital Media Observatory: GADMO

Programme(s): Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)-DIGITAL-1

Topic(s): DIGITAL-2021-TRUST-01-EDMO

Type of action: Digital SME Support Actions

Project ID: 101083573

Objective:
The German-Austrian Digital Media Observatory (GADMO) brings together the most relevant and accomplished fact-checking organisations in the German-speaking market with the most pertinent scientific expertise on the topic. The Consortium is in an ideal position to hit the ground running, with state-of-the-art infrastructure, methodologies, and the necessary know-how already in place. It will establish a new independent multinational hub for Germany and Austria to expand the regional coverage of the EDMO network. As such, GADMO will identify disinformation campaigns by applying state-of-the art social media monitoring techniques, crowdsourcing, and journalistic research. It will publish at least 3,000 fact checks during the course of the project and will disseminate them through numerous channels. One of these channels will be the project’s website, which will serve as one of the hubs of the Europe-wide EDMO network. To evaluate and support the work of fact-checkers we will conduct rigorous scientific analyses. Using computational and statistical methods and machine learning, project GADMO will be able to identify patterns in the presentation and distribution of disinformation, thus providing feedback for fact-checkers and making visible the reach of disinformation. The project will also monitor the implementation of platforms’ policies against disinformation and will inform the relevant regulatory authorities in Austria and Germany about its findings in annual reports. Furthermore, project GADMO will initiate several media literacy campaigns and thereby strengthen the public’s resilience against disinformation and support the growth of fact-checking in local media. To sum up, project GADMO will add a valuable contribution to the EDMO network and will help fight disinformation in Germany and Austria.