How the EU Counters Disinformation: Journalistic and Regulatory Responses

Social media companies have strengthened their power—both discursive and political—during the last decade, a process that has disrupted the public spheres, contributing to shaping the way in which public discourse unfolds. In this process, it has empowered anti-democratic domestic and foreign actors, and challenged the business model of traditional media companies, substantially changing journalistic practices. This process has led policy-makers across the world, but more specifically in the EU, to conceive of disinformation as a “problem” (sometimes even a “threat to democracy”) that needs to be “solved.” The thematic issue critically contributes to the increasing literature on the topic by opening avenues that reorient the debate towards the relationship between Big Tech regulation, disinformation, journalism, politics, and democracy in the EU context.