EASTERN FRONTIER TALKS

Iniciatíva východnej hranice
Panel 1 (10.00 - 12.00)
How disinformation becomes a tool for autocrats
Messages that Orban, Fico or Putin are conveying to their voters very often resemble contents of conspiracy channels. This way autocrats legitimize media that do not respect journalistic standards. In Slovakia some of these media are now receiving state support. How does this development impact the society’s relationship to facts? Does this new conspiracy media empire influence the operation of independent media that operates based on journalistic standards? The panel will not only map the development of conspiracy media, but also look at how governments can turn into the biggest disseminators of fake news.
Speakers:
Blanka Zöldi, editor-in-chief of lakmusz.hu - Hungarian fact-checking site
Martin Hodás, freelance Tech & Disinfo journalist
Vladimír Šnidl, journalist from DennikN focusing on fake news
Moderator: Beata Balogová
Panel 2 (14.00 - 16.00)
Who is afraid of Russia
The countries on NATO’s eastern border differ in their attitudes towards Russia. According to a Globsec survey, less than half of the people in Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary consider Russia a threat. It is the opposite in Poland, which is also why the public is more inclined to help Ukraine and arming at home.
Speakers:
Bartosz Wielinski, deputy editor-in-chief of the Gazeta Wyborcza
Miroslav Wlachowský, diplomat and an expert on foreign policy
Oľga Gyarfašová, research of citizens‘ political positions, electoral behavior political culture, gender studies
Moderator: Michaela Terenzani