23 September 2025, Prague, Czechia, Charles University, Patriotic Hall
We warmly invite you to a unique conference brewed by CEDMO. This one-day, in-person event will bring together experts, partners, and donors for a carefully roasted selection of findings, reflections, and innovations developed throughout the CEDMO project.
Just like a well-balanced coffee menu, the conference will offer something for every taste:
- Quick sips of insight from the CEDMO Trends longitudinal research in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,
- Intense Espresso-style discussions on fact-checking initiatives and AI-powered tools for detecting disinformation and deepfakes,
- Sharp and aromatic Coffee Beans exploring biomedical disinformation and its societal impact,
- Layered Latté-style reflections on the tactics and impact of foreign meddling in elections across Central Europe.
- Comparative blends of disinformation campaigns and electoral processes across Central Europe.
Through a series of expert panel discussions, the event will foster knowledge exchange, strategic dialogue, and the development of actionable recommendations for public institutions, media professionals, academia, and civil society actors working to strengthen democratic resilience.
Come for the facts, stay for the flavor.
Panels
Like a slow, carefully filtered brew, this panel offers a deep dive into the longitudinal findings of CEDMO Trends survey. With over two years of data from Czechia and Slovakia, the discussion will highlight evolving patterns in disinformation, public perception, and strategic recommendations for institutions and communicators.
Confirmed Speakers
Lenka Kabrhelová, Moderator
Journalist, presenter, founder and host of the Seznam Zprávy podcasts 5:59 and MDŽ. She worked as a presenter, reporter and foreign correspondent for Czech Radio in Russia (2008–2013) and the USA (2013–2017), her reporting led her to almost 20 countries. She is a founder of the award-winning Czech Radio podcast Vinohradská 12. She is the recipient of the 2020 Karel Havlíček Borovský Prize. In 2017, she received the prestigious Nieman Fellowship in journalism at Harvard University, where she focused on media polarization and Central Europe’s relations with Russia and the United States.
Petr Gongala
Petr Gongala is the coordinator of Demagog.cz, the sole dedicated fact-checking project in the Czech Republic. He has worked as a fact-checker, authored promise-tracking publications and set up voting apps as part of the team at KohoVolit.eu. Besides activism, Petr took part in political research as a quantitative analyst focused on geostatistics and predictive analysis of voting. He is also a senior research analyst at IDC, working with large datasets in advanced statistical models, designing interactive maps and presentations of statistical results.
Roman Pudmarčík
Roman Pudmarčík is a sociologist and the Account Director at Ipsos Slovakia, where he leads the Public Affairs & Customer Experience department. He has been with Ipsos since 2016. In his role, Roman is responsible for implementing strategic research and international projects for key clients and overseeing all Public Affairs and Customer Experience measurements. He specializes in election research and is also involved in the CEDMO Trends study, a significant research project by CEDMO and Ipsos in Slovakia that monitors societal attitudes with a primary focus on disinformation and information disorders.
Krisztina Stump
Krisztina Stump is Head of Unit at the European Commission, in charge of social media policy and the Commission’s policy work on fighting online disinformation and information integrity. She fostered the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation – now converted into a Code of Conduct under the Digital Services Act – and steered the work of its Task-force related to the 2024 European Parliamentary Elections. Her responsibilities also include supporting media literacy as well as research projects fostering societal resilience and information integrity. Krisztina holds Master of Laws degrees with a focus on Media Law from Columbia Law School (New York) and from Humboldt University (Berlin) as well as a Master’s degree in Communication and Media Studies (Budapest).
A fast-paced panel inspired by our Coffee Beans series, offering sharp insights into the spread of health-related disinformation and its societal impact. Featuring short, impactful presentations and expert commentary.
Confirmed Speakers
Lenka Kabrhelová, Moderator
Journalist, presenter, founder and host of the Seznam Zprávy podcasts 5:59 and MDŽ. She worked as a presenter, reporter and foreign correspondent for Czech Radio in Russia (2008–2013) and the USA (2013–2017), her reporting led her to almost 20 countries. She is a founder of the award-winning Czech Radio podcast Vinohradská 12. She is the recipient of the 2020 Karel Havlíček Borovský Prize. In 2017, she received the prestigious Nieman Fellowship in journalism at Harvard University, where she focused on media polarization and Central Europe’s relations with Russia and the United States.
Vanda Boštíková
Vanda analyzes disinformation and misinformation in the field of biomedicine for Coffee Beans. Her experience and contacts from many years of working for universities in the US (University of Iowa, Emory University) and the Atlanta CDC allow her to compare public health and safety issues not only within the European but also within the American environment. She has published more than 150 articles, including contributions to international monographs, indexed in Scopus and Web of Science databases. She has lectured at Charles University and the University of Defence, as well as at a number of international conferences. She is the author of the book Viral Infections.
Ludmila Hamplová
Ludmila is a public-health communication specialist and science editor focused on risk communication, community engagement, and infodemic management in Central and Eastern Europe. She leads science-journalism initiatives with the SCIENCE+ project at Free Press Eastern Europe and previously reported for Zdravotnický deník. She has served in roles at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic. She is currently developing a comparative study on institutional communication around vaccine hesitancy in the Czech Republic and Israel.
Martin Komenda
Martin Komenda holds a master’s and a PhD degree in Informatics and a doctoral degree in Applied Informatics from Masaryk University. He has acquired a solid academic background in computer science as a senior university teacher and researcher, especially in the following domains: health and medical informatics, technology-enhanced learning, educational data/text mining, data processing and visualisation, web application development, information and health awareness and literacy, health information systems, open data, supervision of bachelor’s and diploma theses. He is the senior leader of the development and research team at the joint workplace of the Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University and the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic, coordinator of healthcare data sharing on the national level, He has also been involved in the management of dozens of projects at national and international levels.
Lukáš Kutil
Lukáš works as a data analyst with experience in theoretical research in the public sector and applied research and market research in the private sector. He has participated in several international surveys and long-term projects. In addition to quantitative analysis, he is also involved in project management and works in a methodological group for the preparation of questionnaires. His work focuses on health and human rights issues.
Like a strong espresso, this panel delivers intense discussion on the AI-powered tools developed to detect disinformation narratives or deepfakes and counter them.
Confirmed Speakers
Jakub Šimko, Moderator
Jakub is a researcher in the areas of artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, human computation, crowdsourcing and human-AI symbiosis. He focuses on the research topic of data augmentation. He is a researcher at KInIT, where he also leads the Web and User Data Processing team. He co-authored more than 40 internationally recognized publications, together receiving more than 900 citations. Currently, he is participating in 4 European research projects. In 2021, he was co-awarded the Best Paper Award at the prestigious ACM RecSys conference for KInIT’s social media auditing research.
Jan Fridrichovský
Jan manages fact-checking at Demagog.cz, where he oversees operations within Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking program and the fact-checking work of CEDMO. He has extensive experience in fact-checking and editorial management and leads a team of analysts and editors. His background spans market analysis and legal work, and he holds degrees in Economic Policy and International Relations as well as in Law and Legal Science.
Jiří Matas
Jiří holds a PhD from the University of Surrey, UK (1995). His research interests include visual tracking, object recognition, image matching and retrieval, machine learning and pattern recognition. He has published over 300 papers that have been cited more than 66666 in Google Scholar (h-index = 94). He received the best paper prize at the British Machine Vision Conferences in 2002, 2005 and 2022, at the Asian Conference on Computer Vision in 2007 and at Int. Conf. on Document analysis and Recognition in 2015. Matas served as a programme or general chair at ECCV 2004, 2016, 2022 and CVPR 2007 and 2022. He is an Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Computer Vision was an Associate Editor-in-Chief of IEEE T. Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence.
Jiří Špaček
Jiří is a media innovator who combines news reporting with artificial intelligence technologies. He currently focuses on the automation of complex editorial processes, which he has successfully implemented in key Czech media houses.
At Český rozhlas, he was involved in the launch of the iRozhlas.cz news server and contributed to the development of the mujRozhlas.cz audio portal. He pushed the boundaries of audio news reporting for Seznam.cz and radio stations Expres FM and Classic Praha: he is the author of the first Czech synthetic voice „Hacsiko“ for radio moderating and voices for news programs, introduced semi-automatic news programs to broadcasting, and prepared the automation of night broadcasting with AI moderators. He also developed an application for the automatic conversion of articles from Seznam Zprávy into spoken form with sound design.
As an independent consultant, he is now focused on developing systems for the fully automated production of not only news content.
Peter Jančárik
Peter Jančárik manages anti-disinformation and media quality projects at Seznam.cz, a major tech company and media house in Czechia. As a signatory of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation, Peter makes sure Seznam.cz delivers on its promises to push back on misinformation on its platform, moderate and fact-check discussions, and provide a brand-safe environment for advertisers. Previously, Peter had worked for more than 15 years for the leading PR consultancy Seesame. He has an extensive track record in campaigning for both corporate and non-profit clients. Also, he had trained in strategic communication for several public institutions. Peter had co-founded Konšpirátori.sk, a unique project that seeks to protect brands from displaying their ads on disinformation sites. He was responsible for development, communication, and fundraising. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science from Central European University in Budapest and a bachelor’s degree in European Studies from the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava.
A rich and nuanced session examining the tactics and impact of foreign meddling in elections across Central Europe. With a focus on disinformation campaigns, digital manipulation, and institutional resilience, this panel blends sharp insights with grounded case studies. Best served with a critical eye and enjoyed slowly.
Confirmed Speakers
Veronika Frankovská, Moderator
Veronika runs the Demagog.sk project, which verifies the truthfulness of politicians‘ statements and verifies misinformation on social networks. In the past, she worked as a PR manager for the Institute for a Well-Governed Society and the Link for the Mayor project. She studied journalism at Masaryk University and international relations at Durham University.
Luboš Kukliš
Dr. Ľuboš Kukliš is a specialist in media regulation and online governance, currently working with the Digital Services Act Enforcement Team at the European Commission. He previously served as Chief Executive of the Slovak Media Authority and has held leadership roles with EPRA and ERGA, focusing on regulatory policy and information integrity at the European level.
Patryk Zakrzewski
Patryk is vice-President of the Demagog Association in Poland, overseeing education and training initiatives. Since 2018, he has coordinated the Fact-Checking Academy, where – together with his team – he designs and implements educational projects that foster critical thinking and counter disinformation. As an expert in media education, he has been conducting workshops on fake news and information verification for students, teachers, educators, and representatives of NGOs and business. He creates engaging scenarios tailored to the needs of specific groups and continuously seeks new solutions to encourage verification of content and reliance on credible sources of information.
He collaborates with, among others, the Mieroszewski Center, TechSoup Foundation, School with Class Foundation, and the Creative Initiatives Association „ę“. He enhances his competencies through participation in conferences and training programs, such as the School of Political Leaders (2024), GlobalFact (2023, 2025), International Visitor Leadership Program (2021-22), and DFRLab’s Digital Sherlocks (2020-21). He is a member of the Polish Society for Media Education.
Jakub Kubś
PhD in Humanities. Since 2021, he has been working in the field of disinformation analysis. He is the author of numerous reports on the analysis of Russian propaganda, coordinated inauthentic behavior in social media (CIB), as well as in-depth analyses of Russian media financing. In his work, he uses data analysis, visualization of network connections, OSINT techniques and tools, and programming. He conducted training in the analysis of foreign information manipulation and interference in information (FIMI), DISARM methodology, and the use of the OpenCTI platform for state institutions and non-governmental organizations both in Europe and Africa.
Aneta Zachová
Aneta Zachová is the editor-in-chief of Euractiv.cz, the Czech branch of the pan-European Euractiv media network, which caters to readers interested in European Union affairs. In her role, she oversees coverage of EU politics and policies, with a particular focus on climate, energy, and agriculture. She also works as the Czech correspondent for Euractiv.com, a Brussels-based outlet.
She is pursuing a Ph.D. in International Relations and European Politics at Masaryk University in Brno, where her research focuses on the EU’s responses to crises.
Ivan R. Cuker
Ivan is a data analyst at CEDMO. He participates in the longitudinal research CEDMO Trends and international research conducted in several European countries. He has hands-on experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods. He has been involved in several grant projects in academia and has also worked in applied research in the private sector. In addition to data processing, he also focuses on the presentation of analytical outputs. Ivan is a sociologist and social anthropologist by educational background. He is currently completing his PhD studies. In academia, his main interests are environmental education and the study of neoliberalism.
A session dedicated to media literacy initiatives, educational materials, and workshops tailored for diverse audiences – from seniors to teachers. Stirring awareness, one cup at a time.
Confirmed Speakers
Jaroslav Valůch, Moderator
Jaroslav is the Project Coordinator of SCIENCE+ by Free Press Eastern Europe in Czechia and Slovakia, and News Literacy Program Manager at Transitions. He leads news literacy programs focusing on older adults, seniors, and other marginalized groups. He serves as an expert and consultant in strategic and crisis communication to various organizations and institutions, specializing in media literacy, hate speech prevention, and countering disinformation. As a humanitarian worker, he has worked in various global crises, helping affected populations through crisis communication and using modern communication tools to reach those in need. He also works as a learning experience designer and lecturer, helping people navigate the current information disorder, especially when lives, health, and livelihoods are at risk. His expertise includes communication with crisis-affected populations and preventing hate-motivated violence. In 2010, he was a Fulbright Fellow at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.
Jaromír Volek
Jaromír is the Head of the Research Department at FOCUS agency. Between 1994 and 2018, he lectured on mass communication theories and critical media theories at the Masaryk University, where he also served as the Head of the media studies program. He has also been collaborating for a long time with Czech media regulatory boards as an expert in content analysis of news. His current research focuses on two key areas: conspiracy theories and their role in war propaganda, and the transformation of journalists‘ professional roles due to hybridization, technological substitution, and their gradual decline. Since 2013, he has been a member of the international project DIMLE (Digital International Media Literacy eBook Project).
Jana Magdoňová
Jana is a journalist at Czech Radio, where, together with her colleague Jan Cibulka, she focuses on the topic of cybersecurity every Monday in our program Antivirus. The goal is to equip listeners with practical advice on how to navigate the digital world safely. This work earned Jana a cybersecurity award, which has greatly motivated her to continue this important mission.
In 2021, Jana also founded the project Ověřovna, which focuses on debunking disinformation. The project has published nearly 200 articles that help readers identify falsehoods and strengthen critical thinking. As part of this project, we also created Ověřovna na vlastní kůži, where we actively engage in education. We visit schools and give lectures for seniors, where participants have the opportunity to verify disinformation themselves and contribute to the creation of articles for iRozhlas.
Klára Karimaghai
Klára Karimaghai is a technology and AI education specialist, lecturer, and digital innovation consultant. She leads a team of educators in designing and delivering cutting-edge AI-driven learning programs for students and professionals. Klára specializes in integrating AI into teaching, helping educators harness its potential for language education, soft skills development, and academic learning. She also works with universities and organizations to develop AI literacy programs, bridging the gap between technology and education. Passionate about interactive and experiential learning, she ensures that AI serves as a meaningful and ethical tool in the classroom.
Juliane von Reppert Bismarck
Juliane is the Executive Director and founder of Lie Detectors, an award-winning and journalist-led news-literacy organisation raising awareness of disinformation and media bias among schoolchildren and teachers. She directs Lie Detectors’ development and strategy and designed its concept and training approach. Juliane advises national and international institutions on anti-radicalisation and literacy in an age of media pluralism, including within the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Digital Disinformation and Fake News and Expert Group on Tackling Disinformation and Promoting Digital Literacy through Education and Training on behalf of Lie Detectors. To create Lie Detectors, Juliane put aside an award-winning journalism career.
Aleksandra Monkos
Dr. Aleksandra Monkos is an Education Project Manager at the Demagog Association, where she leads innovative educational initiatives as part of the Fact-Checking Academy. With a focus on media literacy, she designs training programs that empower diverse audiences to enhance their critical thinking and information verification skills. She has authored educational resources for teachers and academics and conducts fact-checking workshops for youth, educators, NGOs, business and public institutions. Previously, she managed a research grant from the Polish National Science Centre and contributed to several international research projects related to civil society. She is the author of a book on Polish NGOs’ development cooperation with media in Ukraine and has published research in international peer-reviewed journals. She holds a PhD in Political Science.
Keynote Speakers
Partners
With the Support of:
*This event received support from the National Recovery Plan under project 1.4 CEDMO 1 – Z220312000000, Support for increasing the impact, innovation, and sustainability of CEDMO in the Czech Republic, which is financed by the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility.
