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Countering disinformation works best with clear functioning of strategic communications, which have to be based on a powerful network of NATO member state tools.
This was a statement made by Anka Feldhusen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany in Ukraine, during her presentation at Kyiv Stratcom Forum, the first international forum on strategic communications in Ukraine.
“Germany, together with France, supported Ukraine as mediators in its relations with Russia, which started the war against Ukraine in 2014. And our priorities remain the same — the mediation process in the Normandy format and in the context of the Minsk agreements.”
“We see how fake news and Russian propaganda were disseminated in Germany,” said Feldhusen. In particular, the diplomat reminded of the story of the girl Lisa, who was allegedly kidnapped by migrants during the 2015 migrant crisis. In reality, the child just stayed overnight with a friend.
According to the Ambassador, these examples show why Germans “have finally turned their attention to Russia’s hostile propaganda.” Feldhusen stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Government of Germany believe that countering misinformation and propaganda work best with a clear functioning of the strategic communications system.
The diplomat believes that it is wrong to respond to hostile propaganda and disinformation with your own propaganda and disinformation.
“We need to define what we consider disinformation and fake news. To accomplish this, we need to raise awareness of how disinformation is spreading. This is about media literacy,” she emphasized.
On December 7-8, 2021, Kyiv Stratcom Forum is taking place in the capital of Ukraine. It is the first international forum on strategic communications in Ukraine. Its participants include NATO and EU diplomats, Ukrainian officials, representatives of Ukrainian civil society organizations specializing in strategic communications and countering disinformation. The Forum has been organized by the Centre for Strategic Communication.
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