Disinformation in conflicts: Ukrainian activist participates in event on fake news

Manipulated photos, posts containing inaccurate information and widespread fake news… Disinformation is a challenge for the whole of society, but in war zones it can play an especially devastating role, deepening tensions and divisions and inciting violence. These days, social networks are the main focus of this phenomenon.

Fundação Getulio Vargas’ School of Communication, Media and Information (FGV ECMI) is holding an event called “Disinformation, fake news and digital activism in conflicts: The case of Ukraine” on November 21, at 2 p.m., to debate this topic. The Ukrainian activist, journalist and researcher Margo Gontar will feature in a panel discussion, alongside Professor Yasmin Curzi of the FGV Rio de Janeiro Law School and FGV ECMI researcher Sabrina Almeida. The moderator will be TV Globo journalist Lilian Ribeiro.

How disinformation is influencing the conflict in Ukraine, the lack of rigorous fact-checking mechanisms in the digital world and the role of the media in this context are some of the issues that will be addressed. The event, which will feature simultaneous interpretation, will take place in FGV’s 12th-floor auditorium at 190 Praia de Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro and it will also be livestreamed on FGV’s YouTube channel.

About Margo Gontar

Margo Gontar is a Ukrainian journalist with more than 15 years of media experience and a social media audience of more than 50,000 people, with whom she shares news about Ukraine and the Russian invasion.

She has worked for and contributed to several Ukrainian and international media outlets, including Voice of America in Washington, D.C. She co-founded Ukraine’s pioneering StopFake project, which tackles Russian disinformation and fake news, and she launched the 7.62 project – an open-source intelligence monitoring effort to track the movement of Russian military forces in order to inform the public where the troops are.

Gontar is now focused on keeping the world’s attention on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and researching the tools used by the Russian government, including disinformation and social media campaigns.

Venue:
12th-floor auditorium, 190 Praia de Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro

To take part, please sign up here.