Countering Disinformation: NGOs, Academia, and Personal Strategies

In this episode of 'Propaganda Loves You,' host Kodie, along with Arthur and Joe, dive into the fourth part of their disinformation series. They discuss various organizations that combat disinformation, including the Stanford Internet Observatory and the Alliance for Securing Democracy. The episode highlights the importance of Finland’s societal approach to media literacy, contrasts it with the U.S.'s reduced efforts, and explores NGOs and citizen groups fighting disinformation on both sides of the Atlantic. They conclude with practical tips for individuals to recognize and counter disinformation in their daily media consumption, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness and critical engagement.

00:00 Introduction to Propaganda Loves You

00:40 Disinformation Deep Dive Series Recap

01:49 NGOs and Citizen Groups Fighting Disinformation

02:23 Stanford Internet Observatory: A Case Study

04:20 Alliance for Securing Democracy

06:41 American Sunlight Project

10:51 European Digital Media Observatory

24:03 Regional Efforts in Europe

28:47 Open Source Intelligence Organizations

29:58 Investigative Organizations and Their Impact

31:01 Citizen-Led Movements: The Rise of Nafo

35:02 Challenges in Media and Neoliberalism

38:17 Practical Tips to Combat Disinformation

51:14 Additional Resources for Media Literacy

57:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Sources used in this episode

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/learn/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-0833-x

https://www.newsguardtech.com/

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1806781116

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1075547017731776

https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-report-version-august-2018/16808c9c77

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debunk.org

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Monitoring%2C_Analysis_and_Strategy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance4Europe

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/07/information-war-russia-china/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/10/world/europe/finland-misinformation-classes.html

https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/08/31/a-virtual-army-of-impish-cartoon-pooches-is-waging-war-on-russia

https://www.rand.org/research/projects/truth-decay.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/16/state-department-shutters-gec-foreign-disinformation-00292982

https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2023/12/07/russia-ukraine-digital-threat-celebrity-cameo-mtac/

https://www.graphika.com/our-story

https://www.disinfo.eu/

https://edmo.eu/

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/government-shouldnt-be-barred-countering-false-information

https://www.bellingcat.com/about/who-we-are/

https://www.americansunlight.org/programs

https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/

Undoing the Demos - Wendy Brown

https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9781935408543/undoing-the-demos

Resources for Media Literacy

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/ml/

https://iste.org/digital-citizenship-lessons

https://www.unesco.org/en/media-information-literacy?hub=370

https://mediaeducationlab.com/

https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/#main

https://www.isdglobal.org/about/