Research lab for testing the effectiveness of corrective information

This initiative is part of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) BE/NL hub

In order to make well-informed political decisions, all citizens need to have equal access to honest and truthful information – which is impeded by the uncontrolled spread of mis- and disinformation through digital means. To combat disinformation, different interventions have been proposed, such as strengthening media literacy or fact-checking dubious claims. However, we lack comprehensive empirical evidence of whether the interventions used in journalism, media practice and policy are successful in achieving their intended goals.

To arrive at a more systematic assessment of fact-checking’s effectiveness, we are developing a research lab to test the effectiveness of existing and new tools used in fact-checking. As one of the key activities of the newly established EDMO BE/NL hub, we will closely collaborate with media practitioners and independent fact-checkers in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The main outcomes will be a systematic assessment of fact-checking’s effectiveness resulting in evidence-based recommendations on which fact-checking formats are most effective. The lab infrastructure will map the effectiveness of different real-life cases of fact-checking and provides a digital lab infrastructure for monitoring the impact of new formats of corrective information.