Murić: No progress in the fight against disinformation, the state lacks both a strategy and genuine intent to address it

The uncontrolled spread of disinformation through media and social networks, along with granting legitimacy to authors, guests, and programs that present large amounts of falsehoods to the public, are the key problems Montenegro faces as it marks World Fact-Checkers Day, said editor-in-chief of the Raskrinkavanje.me portal Darvin Murić.

Murić stated that a complete lack of political, or any other, will to combat disinformation is something Montenegro has been facing for many years. However, he adds, more serious issues have recently emerged, such as certain programs and authors who create disinformation being funded by public money and given space on public broadcasters.

- Additionally, television stations regularly invite conspiracy theorists to their programs, who spread falsehoods about vaccines, child sacrifice, and other theories that have been proven countless times to be completely false. Under the pretext of exchanging arguments, programs are created in which space is given to those working for foreign influence, producing and spreading disinformation, inflaming interethnic tensions, and unconditionally supporting authorities in two different countries while attacking anyone who dares to criticize one entire regime and one-third of another - Murić said.

According to him, the dangers posed by disinformation were also evident in the case of Turkish citizens who, due to its spread, had to fear for their lives and the safety of their children.

- We saw the media’s approach to disinformation when groups walked through Podgorica wearing balaclavas and carrying batons in their waistbands, and the media, including public broadcasters, called it a „protest walk“. We also saw the political response to disinformation - instead of systematically countering falsehoods that had been spreading about a community for days prior to the clash in Zabjelo, photos were published of searches of numerous foreign nationals who had nothing to do with the incident. We also saw what happens when official decisions are made based on disinformation - visa-free travel for Turkish citizens was abolished even though the attackers were Azerbaijanis - Murić stated.

Due to disinformation and the media space given to people who, as Murić says, know as much about vaccines as they do about quantum physics, the MMR vaccination coverage among preschool children stands at 49.8 percent, while among the youngest children born in 2024 it is only 10.5 percent.

Although all of the above is more than evident, Murić notes that there has been no progress in the fight against disinformation. In fact, he says, one could even speak of regression.

- Alongside all this, it should be kept in mind that next year is an election year, and we can expect a major wave of disinformation that accompanies every campaign. The willingness, or lack thereof, to address the problem is best illustrated by the fact that current laws do not even recognize disinformation as an issue, and the fight against it is left to a few isolated actors trying to operate without support from the rest of the system - he emphasized.

While developed countries in Europe are building clear frameworks to protect citizens from disinformation and other abuses coming from the digital space, Murić says Montenegro is standing still.

New media laws, he notes, are being prepared far from the public eye and without broader public dialogue, raising the question of whether anyone other than political parties will have the opportunity to influence their content before they are adopted.

- To sum up - while threats are growing and intensifying, the state has neither a strategy, nor the tools, nor the genuine intent to respond to them - Murić concluded.