The new CEDMO qarterly Fact-checking brief is now out. Compared to the previous quarter, there was a noticeable increase in the number of fact-checks related to the war in Ukraine. This may have been prompted by the third anniversary of the Russian invasion or by the start of President Trump’s administration and his efforts to bring the conflict to an end. Additionally, the volume of articles on domestic politics rose significantly — either as a result of the overall increase in published content or due to the presidential election campaign in Poland and the turbulent political situation in Slovakia.
During Q1 2025, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland saw a rise in disinformation narratives about alleged DNA changes caused by COVID-19 vaccines, as well as other negative impacts. The Polish infosphere was also characterized by disinformation linked to the upcoming presidential election. Some of these narratives were at least partially AI-generated. In March, Czech online spaces saw a widely shared claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bought the French investment bank Milleis Banque and in the same time Slovakia was dominated by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
For more information see the full Fact-checking brief.