Safeguarding Freedom - Securing Democracy

When
Mon, 12 May 2025
Where
Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the European Union
Rue Montoyer 47
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Now is the time to tackle disinformation head-on: How does it impact the media? When does it threaten democracy – and when does it not? What is needed to protect freedom? What is essential to secure democracy?
The German Media Authorities’ event series “Safeguarding Freedom” is organised under the auspices of the North Rhine-Westphalian Media Authority.
This year’s event was entirely dedicated to the safeguarding of democracy. At “Safeguarding Freedom – Securing Democracy”, the speakers addressed the highly relevant issue of disinformation and its impact on the protection of democratic values.
Our first panel examined the dangers of disinformation, navigating the delicate boundary between inadmissible disinformation and extremist content. The session featured a keynote presentation focussing on political and societal actions needed to counter disinformation. This was followed by a discussion with experts from diverse institutions, including media authorities and the European Parliament, on bolstering democratic resilience in response to these challenges.
The second panel focussed on effective counterstrategies, emphasizing the role of authentic information as a tool against disinformation. The discussion opened up by looking at European approaches towards a proper prominence of media of general interest. This analysis set the stage for a panel featuring representatives from both public and private sectors.
The event was held in English, simultaneous interpretation into German was provided.
Agenda
Time | Host: Isabelle Körner |
---|---|
16.00 | Arrival and registrationCoffee and refreshments |
16.45 | OpeningWelcome address
|
17.05 | Democratic resilience in the face of disinformation and extremismKeynote speech
Panel discussion
|
18.30 | How democracies survive: Countering disinformation with truthful informationImpulse: Challenges and opportunities in the regulation of services of general interest
Perspective from across the channel: The UK's new prominence regime
Panel discussion
|
19.30 | End of event and get togetherAppetisers and drinks |