A delegation of EU experts on disinformation and media literacy visited the European Studies Institutes at Wenzao Ursuline University on March 29th, 2023, and held an expert sharing session with faculty and students. The delegation led by Marcin Jerzewski, Head of the Taiwan Office of the Czech think-tank European Centre for Values and Security Policy (ECVSP) was welcomed by the Chair of the European Studies Institute, Dr. Armin Ibitz.
The event aimed at deepening the understanding between the EU and Taiwan and evaluating measures to address the political and social challenges provided by disinformation and underdeveloped media literacy skills. The discussants shared their views on the growing problem of disinformation and authoritarian malicious propaganda in recent years and how to bring forward countermeasures. They further elaborated on how disinformation has influenced public opinion and stirred up political and social stability across Europe, as well as the importance of fact-checking and the impact of disinformation at this critical time due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
A member of the delegation from Ukraine presented a handbook on the Ukrainian experience in fighting disinformation during the war, which is intended to serve as a reference for other countries, such as Taiwan. A Ukrainian flag with messages from soldiers out of the conflict zone was presented to the Wenzao Institute of European Studies as a symbol of the willingness to share the resilience and fortitude of Ukraine with our students and faculty.
The delegation members willingly answered many questions on various realms, such as how media literacy can be raised across the ages of the population, and how to improve the media literacy of senior citizens in addition to media literacy education for students. The session also touched on the issue of Chinese influence and its impact on European campuses and universities.
Participants raised questions on the spread of fake news and disinformation due to the emerging role of emerging artificial intelligence tools. How the development of AI technology can help and hinder the spread of fake news and information led to a lively discussion.
The event clearly showed that efforts must be increase to counter disinformation and raise media literacy not only in Europe but also in Taiwan.
Delegation Members:
• Marcin Jerzewski (Head of Taiwan Office of European Values Center for Security Policy and Outreach Manager of PSF-2019-10947 EU-Taiwan Engagement Support Facility)
• Dr. Julian Jaursch (Project Director, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung)
• Veronika Kratka Spalkova (Analyst, European Values Center for Security Policy)
• Jakub Kubś (Sr. Analyst, Debunk)
• Andrea Michalcova (Deputy Director, European Values Center)
• Pawel Terpilowski (Deputy CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Demagog Association)
• Dr. Jędrzej Witkowski (CEO and President of Board of Center for Citizenship Education)
• Zuzana Koskova (Sr Project Coordinator, European Values Center)
• Karolina Kabesova (Project Coordinator, European Values Center)
• Mariia Kovach-Butsko (Information Defense Hub)
• Mariia Makarovych (Information Defense Hub)