Tackling Disinformation as a Threat to Democracy, Human Rights and Security
About The Initiative
Truth Shield 360° is a global initiative spearheaded by RNW Media and partners to counter the growing threat of disinformation to the connective tissues within societies, and access to information as a public good.
The initiative is a comprehensive framework to tackle disinformation across the entire digital media content lifecycle, through six interconnected pillars for lasting impact, based on multistakeholder involvement for Collective Action.
Officially launched during the 2025 Digital Media Impact Summit (DMIS), the initiative brings together several public interest media and digital rights organisations to facilitate joint efforts to protect information integrity, empower independent journalism, and strengthen civic resilience.
By engaging with those actors and broader stakeholders from the Vine- RNW Media’s global community, consisting of 25 public interest media, 80 media trainers, and 10.000 alumni, the Truth Shield 360° aims to rebuild trust in media, safeguard public discourse, and ensure democratic stability in the face of rising online manipulation.
The initiative is endorsed by KirkukNow (Iraq), Mas Voces Foundation & el Toque (Cuba), Benbere (Mali), and 7amleh (Palestine).
The Problem
In recent years, disinformation has evolved into a critical threat—not only to electoral integrity and the very fabric of democratic societies but to the stability and trust across all types of governance systems and national security worldwide. Recent conflicts around the world, including information manipulation in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Gaza war, Iran–Israel conflict, and tensions between India–Pakistan, have been exacerbated by targeted disinformation campaigns. Disinformation spreads confusion, incites violence, and erodes public trust in institutions, undermining social cohesion.
Disinformation also threatens fundamental human rights—undermining freedom of expression, access to information, and personal safety. It is often weaponized to justify censorship, silence civil society, and incite discrimination or violence. Tackling disinformation is not only a security imperative, but also essential to protect democratic values and human rights.
From established democracies to authoritarian systems, disinformation has been present as a political force. Elections globally – from Africa to Europe – such as the 2024 Romanian election– have been manipulated by AI-generated deepfakes, coordinated online campaigns, and algorithmic amplification of false narratives. International bodies such as the United Nations, European Union, and NATO now recognize disinformation as a hybrid threat to peace and democratic resilience.
Our information environment is under siege. As outlined in the EU’s Democracy Shield and frameworks such as the UN’s Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms, urgent collective action is needed to secure the digital commons.
Our Positioning
RNW Media stands at the forefront of combating disinformation and building online resilience for public interest media to navigate within a polluted information ecosystem.
Despite the clear and present danger posed by disinformation, current EU and national funding mechanisms do not adequately prioritize or strategically allocate resources to counter this threat. Existing frameworks, such as the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and initiatives like Global Gateway, while important, often lack dedicated, scaled-up provisions for comprehensive information integrity programs. While efforts like the European Democracy Shield are a step in the right direction, they need substantial financial backing to translate into tangible impact across the continent and beyond. Together with groups such as the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), RNW Media submitted inputs into public consultations regarding the MFF and Democracy Shield. Yet, information integrity is a cross-cutting issue that, as observed above, is worth valuing and including across funding initiatives at the EU and national levels.
In our joint statement endorsed by 49 public interest media, civil society organizations, and thought leaders, we call for proactive, preventative, and systemic approaches rooted in:
- A human rights-based and evidence-led framework
- Empowerment of independent journalism and civil society, especially during elections
- Promotion of multi-stakeholder collaboration
- Championing youth engagement and media literacy
- Demanding tech platform accountability
Tackling Disinformation Across the Digital Media Content Lifecycle: Our Full-Spectrum 360° Approach
Disinformation cannot be tackled in silos. Our 360° approach delivers solutions across every phase of the digital media content lifecycle, supported by a foundation of digital safety and security.
Data Collection & Analysis: Track disinformation trends and audience behavior to guide targeted responses. Our solutions: Ethical social listening | Digital Media Context analysis | Source ethics training
Content Production: Contextualize false narrative to the audience, prevent false narratives amplification and produce verified alternative narratives. Our solutions: Counter Disinformation training | Navigating Disinformation Around Elections training | Storytelling training | Fact-checking | Counter-narrative consulting
Content Curation & Moderation: Decide what gets amplified or removed, and manage online spaces ethically. Our solutions: Safe digital space moderation training
Content Recommendation: Address algorithmic bias and promote transparent platform practices. Our solutions: Content authenticity masterclass | Advocacy for tech accountability consulting
Content Distribution & Marketing: Use strategic messaging to reach audiences with credible content. Our solutions: Digital media campaign training | SEO consulting | SMART targeting consulting | Influencers marketing consulting
Content Consumption: Foster digital literacy so users can critically assess and reject manipulation. Our solutions: Media & information literacy (via RNTC) | AI literacy training
Digital Safety and Security (Cross-Cutting Layer): Secure practices protect both message and messenger at every stage—from data handling to content creation and sharing. Our solutions: Digital safety & security training | Risk assessments
Tackling Disinformation through Six Interconnected Pillars: Our Strategy for Lasting Impact
Disinformation cannot be tackled without a system-level transformation. Our 360° approach is guided by six interconnected strategic pillars, emphasized structural change and long-term impact —aligned with international policy frameworks.
Building Evidence: understanding the disinformation landscape
Amplifying Truth: Strengthening independent journalism & media partnership
Strengthening Resilience: Pre-bunking disinformation with and for youth and local community
Countering Falsehoods: Exposing disinformation with fact-checking and investigative journalism
Reshaping Narrative: Crafting a truth-based alternative narrative that resonates with the audience
Rebooting System: Advocating tech platforms’ transparency and accountability
Together, these two dimensions form the core of Truth Shield 360°:
✅ Operational intervention at every digital stage
✅ Strategic transformation of the entire information ecosystem
Tackling Disinformation with Multistakeholder Involvement: A Foundation for Collective Action
Why Disinformation Requires Collective Action
- Disinformation is Complex – It comes from many sources and affects all sectors.
- Information Ecosystems Are Interconnected – Cross-sector trust is essential.
- Inclusivity is Essential – Marginalized communities are often most affected.
- Shared Infrastructure Builds Trust – Solutions require collaboration to be effective.
How do we make it? The Vine and Beyond
Our global network, The Vine, connects 25 public interest media, 80 media trainers, and 10.000 alumni from 110+ countries. Supported by RNW Media’s broader network, it enables:
– Peer learning across borders
– Co-creation of local solutions
– Scaling grassroots knowledge
– Elevating voices to global forums
The Vine bridges independent media, civil society, tech experts, policymakers, educators, and researchers—turning individual actions into collective power.
The outcome
✅ Early detection & pre-bunking
✅ Credible counter-messaging
✅ Stronger alternative narrative
✅ Empowered journalists, media makers & civic communities
✅ Increased Tech platform accountability
✅ Rebuilt trust in democratic discourse
Truth Shield 360° is not just a strategy—it’s an infrastructure for collective action.
Our Impact
Somalia & Ethiopia: Our Trainer of Trainers (ToT) programs empowered over 500 local journalists to recognize and counter disinformation in election periods
Cuba: YouthCheck, an AI-powered fact-checking app on YouTube, protects young people from misinformation in real time. Read more about the project here.
Uganda: Our election-focused training enhanced the integrity of public reporting ahead of the 2026 elections.
Uzbekistan: Our Infodemic Toolkit enabled journalists to counter COVID-related misinformation effectively.
Palestine: In partnership with 7amleh, we challenged big tech on moderation bias, resulting in the removal of over 86% of flagged harmful content by Meta. Read more about the impact story here. Read our new position paper, “Safeguarding Palestinian Digital Rights in the EU Policy Framework,”
Jordan & Tunisia: Research and local interventions on SRHR disinformation directly informed youth-friendly counter-narratives and digital engagement strategies. Read more about the research report here.
Join us
Truth Shield 360° is not a campaign—it’s a movement. We invite:
Governments & Donors to invest in information integrity programming.
Media & Civil Society to co-design local interventions.
Technologists & Platforms to commit to responsible governance.
Educators & Trainers to scale digital and media literacy.
About us
RNW Media is an international media development organisation based in Haarlem, the Netherlands, dedicated to harness the power of independent digital media to uphold human rights and advance the public good.
Working in more than 40 countries across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, West and East Africa, East Asia, Central and South America, we defend media and internet freedom, the right of every human being to access to information and freedom of expression.
Download our organisational brochure here.