About CEDMO
The Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO), as an independent non-partisan multidisciplinary hub, aims to identify, research and prioritise the most critical sources and causes of information disorders in Central Europe (mainly the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland). This international consortium was created to propose a set of short and longer-term actions, as well as recommendations to help civil society, public institutions and the private sector respond to the declining trust in key institutions and help society to resist the effect of increasing exposure to mis- and disinformation.
By interacting and coordinating with European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and other regional EDMO hubs in EU, CEDMO will contribute to curbing threats posed by information disorders, including disenchantment with the democratic processes, and discord in civil society in Europe, and to building community and nation-wide resilience while protecting information ecosystems.
About CEDMO
The Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO), as an independent non-partisan multidisciplinary hub, aims to identify, research and prioritise the most critical sources and causes of information disorders in Central Europe (mainly the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland). This international consortium was created to propose a set of short and longer-term actions, as well as recommendations to help civil society, public institutions and the private sector respond to the declining trust in key institutions and help society to resist the effect of increasing exposure to mis- and disinformation.
Our Partners
About CEDMO
The Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO), as an independent non-partisan multidisciplinary hub, aims to identify, research and prioritise the most critical sources and causes of information disorders in Central Europe (mainly the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland). This international consortium was created to propose a set of short and longer-term actions, as well as recommendations to help civil society, public institutions and the private sector respond to the declining trust in key institutions and help society to resist the effect of increasing exposure to mis- and disinformation.
Our Partners
“The Media laughed and said Ivermectin was ONLY for horses and cows? THEY KNEW it was made for people since 1987,” begins a May 7, 2025 Facebook post.
“BREAKING NEWS: TRUMP STRIKES BACK — DEATH PENALTY FOR mRNA CRIMES NOW ON THE TABLE”, reads the headline of a lengthy Facebook post published on February 26, 2025.
“The German government admits there was no pandemic,” read a simplified Chinese post on Weibo shared on April 10, 2024.
“Tariff problems, a sudden attack,” reads simplified Chinese sticker text on an April 11 Douyin video of a man appearing to walk on stage behind Trump, hit him, and walk away as Trump ducks and Secret Service agents rush up to protect him.
“Boycott Israeli products! Easy way to identify Israeli products. If there are 729 numbers at the beginning of Barcode! It means Israeli product (sic),” reads a Facebook post from Nigeria shared alongside an image of a barcode.
“BRICS now controls 80% of global oil trade. The oil trade will not be in US dollars,” says an August 24 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Putin’s dedollarization project is shaping up beautifully.”
Climate change deniers are pushing an AI-generated paper questioning human-induced warming, leading experts to warn against the rise of research that is inherently flawed but marketed as neutral and scrupulously logical.
New scientific research claims ocean currents are “stable,” states Anthony Watts in a February 28, 2025 article on his website.
Posts stating dams were intentionally removed or opened to intensify the floods in Spain spread on X, after the extreme rainfalls, which caused widespread destruction, and claimed more than 220 lives in eastern and southern Spain.
“The Media laughed and said Ivermectin was ONLY for horses and cows? THEY KNEW it was made for people since 1987,” begins a May 7, 2025 Facebook post.
“BREAKING NEWS: TRUMP STRIKES BACK — DEATH PENALTY FOR mRNA CRIMES NOW ON THE TABLE”, reads the headline of a lengthy Facebook post published on February 26, 2025.
“RFK Jr. is correct about Lyme disease being created as a bioweapon in a lab on Plum Island, just off Connecticut’s coast,” says a January 29, 2025 X post from an account called “Shadow of Ezra,” which AFP previously fact-checked.
A dramatic tale claiming a transgender surgery specialist connected to Brigitte Macron suspiciously died spread across social media following an online series from US conservative commentator Candace Owens which reignited conspiracy theories alleging the wife of the French president had formerly been a man. But the American podcaster’s claims are unfounded and precipitated a defamation lawsuit from the Macrons, while the reports of a doctor’s death are similarly fictitious; they rely on invention of a fabricated surgeon, manipulated media and the impersonation of journalists.
“THEY ERASED HIM! Chelsea photoshopped Trump out of their official trophy raising photo,” says a July 14, 2025 post on X.
A Facebook post published with a video on June 23, 2025, contains a text overlay in Amharic that reads: “The nuclear weapons that America claimed to have struck were found in another underground facility.”
“The Media laughed and said Ivermectin was ONLY for horses and cows? THEY KNEW it was made for people since 1987,” begins a May 7, 2025 Facebook post.
“BREAKING NEWS: TRUMP STRIKES BACK — DEATH PENALTY FOR mRNA CRIMES NOW ON THE TABLE”, reads the headline of a lengthy Facebook post published on February 26, 2025.
New scientific research claims ocean currents are “stable,” states Anthony Watts in a February 28, 2025 article on his website.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau museum in Poland recently sounded the alarm over a growing online trend of social media posts sharing AI-generated images of alleged Holocaust victims. In July 2025, pictures of a violinist playing in concentration camps spread across the internet, posted alongside a fabricated story. While musicians did play a part in life inside the Nazi-run camps, the image does not depict a real person, and visual inconsistencies point to the content likely being AI-generated.
A dramatic tale claiming a transgender surgery specialist connected to Brigitte Macron suspiciously died spread across social media following an online series from US conservative commentator Candace Owens which reignited conspiracy theories alleging the wife of the French president had formerly been a man. But the American podcaster’s claims are unfounded and precipitated a defamation lawsuit from the Macrons, while the reports of a doctor’s death are similarly fictitious; they rely on invention of a fabricated surgeon, manipulated media and the impersonation of journalists.
“I want to acknowledge the moment that’s been circulating online, and the disappointment it’s caused,” says the purported message. “What was supposed to be a night of music and joy turned into a deeply personal mistake playing out on a very public stage.”
“Amazing things happen when the BBC forgets to cut its reporter’s feed while covering the Trump-Zelensky fiasco,” says a March 5, 2025 X post with thousands of interactions.
“BREAKING: Ukraine ‘soldiers’ have resorted to faking combat in order to appear ‘war torn’ so the slush fund from the U.S. keeps churning money their way!” says a March 1, 2025 X post with thousands of interactions.
A common theme among spreaders of disinformation is that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a Nazi or that he embezzles Western aid intended for Ukraine. In the past, disinformation spreaders have falsely claimed that he bought a former mansion of Joseph Goebbels, two luxury yachts or even Adolf Hitler’s Mercedes.
“Israel’s Channel 12 asked a question in an Israeli public opinion poll: Do you agree with the claim that a soldier is allowed to rape a prisoner with his hands tied? 47% Yes 43% No,” read the caption alongside the altered image posted on Facebook on August 11.
“A Palestinian father leaves Eid clothes on his daughter’s grave (8 years old),” read a Facebook post that shared the photos on June 24.
“More Pallywood is Full HD. Despicable scum,” reads a Facebook post from February 15, 2024, that appears to show a behind-the-scenes video of a photoshoot.
