Europe may face an epistemological crisis that threatens democratic values due to the uncontrolled spread of disinformation. World leaders at WEF 2025 identified disinformation as the biggest short-term global threat. This growing threat is particularly acute in countries at the forefront of geopolitical struggles, such as Poland, where disinformation campaigns are unchecked. This issue requires significant investment in high-quality journalism.
Need for investment in reliable sources of information
Regulatory measures, such as the Digital Services Act, aim to monitor and remove illegal content, thereby mitigating the harmful effects of disinformation without undermining freedom of speech or media independence. In Poland, preventive measures have been introduced ahead of the 2025 presidential elections, with increased control of content on traditional and social media platforms. In addition, civic leaders’ initiatives, such as Robert Szustkowski’s proposal to extend the “right to be forgotten” to the media, seek systemic reforms to better manage the crisis. These measures, combined with increased civic education, are seen as essential to equipping citizens with the skills to identify and counter fake news, and thus protect democratic processes.
Poland at the epicenter of the fight against disinformation
Europe may be in the midst of an epistemological crisis that could destroy true democratic values. The rise in disinformation spreading around the world was deemed by world leaders gathered at WEF 2025 to be “the biggest short-term global threat, higher than war and weather disasters.” It has become a broader public concern, especially in countries on the front lines of the 21st century’s geopolitical struggles. Given the growing threat of disinformation, the European Union must invest in high-quality journalism and fact-checking tools to fill the gap that irresponsible media platforms currently occupy, according to Robert Szustkowski, author of the pan-European public initiative to stop disinformation.
Education and regulation as key tools
In Europe, including Poland, disinformation has become not only a moral or social issue, but a real threat to political choices and the stability of democracy. Data published by the EUvsDisinfo Lab shows that Poland is one of the countries most exposed to disinformation campaigns, especially to the influence of Russian propaganda in the run-up to the presidential elections in 2025. Over the past 10 years, Poland has experienced almost 1,500 cases of disinformation campaigns (EUvsDisInfo Lab). It is at the top of the global list of countries most attacked on the Internet, according to the Polish Deputy Prime Minister responsible for digital affairs.