The Sofia Information Integrity Forum 2024, held from November 7-9 at Sofia’s Central Military Club, brought together experts, public figures, and members of the Bulgarian and broader European community in a unified stand against disinformation.
The Sofia Information Integrity Forum 2024, held from November 7-9 at Sofia’s Central Military Club, brought together experts, public figures, and members of the Bulgarian and broader European community in a unified stand against disinformation. The forum was organized by the Foundation for Humanities and Social Studies – Sofia, Center for the Study of Democracy, GATE Institute, Identrics, Ontotext and Sensika. Co-organized by the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media (BROD), the event underscored the urgent need to safeguard information integrity as a critical democratic value under threat from both domestic and international sources.
Keynote speakers included prominent figures such as Mark Galeotti of Mayak Intelligence, known for his expertise on Russia and Eastern Europe, Susanne Spahn, a German historian and journalist, Andy Carvin of the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), Marius Dragomir from the Center for Media and Journalism, Dr. Neville Bolt of the King’s Centre for Strategic Communications, and Miroslav Sazdovski of the European Center for Countering Hybrid Threats. The speakers provided insights into the complex threats posed by misinformation to national security, democratic stability, and public trust.
Opening the event, Dana Spinant, Director-General of Communications at the European Commission, and Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, highlighted the critical role of international cooperation in the fight against misinformation. Atanas Zapryanov, Bulgarian Minister of Defense, also emphasized the need for robust defense mechanisms in the information space.
BROD facilitated two sessions focusing on “Media Literacy: Passport to the Future,” which featured presentations by Andy Stoycheff from NTCenter, Cristina Lupu of Center for Independent Journalism, Laura Burtan from Funky Citizens, and Angel Georgiev from Sindeo. Moderated by Irina Nedeva from the Association of European Journalists, the discussions explored strategies to empower the public to discern credible information amidst a sea of misinformation.
The forum concluded with presentations from GATE researchers Boyan Dafov and Keith Peter Kiely. “Let us embrace this forum as an opportunity—not only to dissect the pressing issues at hand but also to cultivate a robust community dedicated to the principles of truth and integrity”, said Keith Kiely from BROD.