Informational Autocrats - Academic Sources

The paper analyses the role of the media in establishing and maintaining modern-day authoritarian regimes. The authors offer a formal account of how such systems work, emphasising the importance of the gap in political knowledge between the “informed elite” and the general public as a key element of informational autocracy

SLAPPs’ 5 W’s: a background of the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation - Legal Resources

Following the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a group of European MEPs is calling on the EU Commission to promote an anti-SLAPP EU directive, to counter the attempts at silencing investigative journalism. A backgrounder on the use of the acronym “SLAPP”.

“Telegram” Block in Russia: the Wider Context - Legal Resources

Since mid-April 2018 the Russian authorities have, rather unsuccessfully so far, been attempting to block the “Telegram” messenger, which is an anonymous Internet communication tool. This brief item discusses the context and consequences of the decision

Media freedom in Bulgaria - Article

The fourth of a series of thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents. The text has been kindly proof-read by Dr. Lada Price from Sheffield Hallam University - CFOM and AEJ - Bulgaria

Is the EU Disinformation Review Compliant with EU Law? - Academic Sources

A complaint to the European Ombudsman about EU vs Disinfo

Dead Reckoning - Reports

A white paper by Data & Society discusses definitions of “fake news” and intervention strategies 

Bulgaria: Union of Publishers' Media Freedom White Paper - Reports

The Media Freedom White Paper is a project of the Union of Publishers in Bulgaria (UPB). The report presents the situation of the Bulgarian Media, providing reasons for the steady deterioration of its pluralism and freedom in the last 10 years.

State Sponsored Trolling - Reports

The report published by the Institute for the Future explores how governments are deploying disinformation as part of broader digital harassment campaigns

Freedom of the Net 2017: Manipulating Social Media to Undermine Democracy - Reports

A comprehensive study of internet freedom in 65 countries, covering 87 percent of the world’s internet users: Freedom of the Net warns that governments around the world have dramatically increased their efforts to manipulate information on social media over the past year

“Tackling Illegal Content Online”: A Step towards Full Legitimation of Private Censorship Online? - Legal Resources

On 28 September 2017, the European Commission published its Communication “Tackling Illegal Content Online”, raising concern about the risks for private censorship by online platforms and the modalities of its implementation