The National
Broadcasting Council

The event, organized by the Polish National Broadcasting Council (KRTiT) at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, was further proof that the Central and Eastern European countries are constantly and loudly speaking with one voice on the issue of countering Russian disinformation.

During his opening speech at the summit, the chairman of the Polish National Broadcasting Council formulated five main goals facing the broader media industry in democratic countries in the context of repelling the wave of Russian fake news.

“Firstly, it is necessary to constantly strengthen the role and capabilities of credible media, providing the public with reliable and verified information. Secondly, we need to develop international cooperation and constantly share experiences and best practices,” Maciej Świrski urged.‌

In his view, the following elements will also be necessary: “changes in the law and adaptation of regulations to changing external circumstances, promotion of journalistic ethics, and effective communication of our activities to all audiences.”‌‌

The unprecedented intensity of the disinformation campaign is of course related to Russia’s launch of full-scale aggression against Ukraine, but its origins should be sought far in the past.

“Large-scale aggression has awakened Western societies, but this does not mean that we have won this great battle for truth in the mass media and social media,” stressed Olha Herasymiuk, chairwoman of the National Broadcasting Council of Ukraine.

The three Baltic states that also took part in the summit were represented by: Ivars Abolins (chairman of the Latvian National Electronic Mass Media Council), Rimantas Bagdzevicius (chairman of the Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania) and Helen Rohtla (president of the Department of Information Society at the Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority). These countries have been targeted by the Kremlin’s disinformation machine for years.

‌“That’s why our legal systems take a very strict approach to blocking TV channels, radio stations or social media profiles that reproduce Putin’s propaganda,” the Latvian representative said.

In turn, Dr. György Ocskó, representing Hungary, expressed the hope that coordinated action against the spread of disinformation in the public space will soon go beyond the regional framework and will become a common policy for all of united, democratic Europe.

‌‌“Today’s summit is an important step in building true European solidarity in defense of the core value of freedom of speech based on reliable, verified information prepared by reliable sources,” said Valentin-Alexandru Jucan, vice president of Romania’s National Audiovisual Council.

The centerpiece of the “Stop disinformation and Russian propaganda” summit, organized in Warsaw on October 4-5, 2023, is the signing of the “Warsaw Declaration on Combating Disinformation,” setting out a framework for cooperation among signatories to limit and expose Kremlin propaganda.