The far right in France has long been on the rise, but the first round of parliamentary elections has brought them closer than ever to gaining power. They have capitalized on bread-and-butter issues such as the cost of living and social reforms to appeal to voters. But disinformation has also played a role in their success. Supporters have deployed tactics such as mirroring websites and spreading misleading narratives. Among those targeted: journalists and fact-checkers, who have faced online harassment and threats. Our guest is Marie Bohner, head of development and partnerships, digital investigations at Agence France-Presse (AFP). We talked with Bohner about disinformation trends and intimidation tactics used to silence critical journalism in the country. The conversation, hosted by Javier Luque, IPI Head of Digital Communications, was recorded just days before the second round of elections in France, the results of which could have significant implications for the country’s media landscape and for the European Union.

IPI kicks off the first episode of the second season of "Decoding Disinformation" with a compelling conversation about the rise of extremism in Austria, where the Freedom Party (FPÖ) recently won the European Elections (2024). Their victory is rooted in rhetoric based on false narratives against immigration and independent media, among other issues.

Our guest is Austrian journalist Ingrid Brodnig, one of the country's leading experts on far-right movements and online disinformation. We'll explore the strategies these parties use to depict a global power working against the people. In these conspiratorial narratives, the media is often labeled as being mouthpieces at the service of these powers, fostering a pervasive distrust in mainstream media.

As Austria heads towards its upcoming parliamentary elections in September, the rhetoric against the media is expected to escalate. Ingrid will help us understand the global implications of these trends and draw parallels with populist movements in other countries.

Join us for this insightful conversation hosted by Javier Luque, Head of Digital Communications at IPI, as we decode the disinformation shaping the political landscape in Austria and beyond.

Key takeaways:

• Migration and the COVID-19 pandemic have played a significant role in the increasing support for extremist political parties in Austria, such as the Freedom Party.
• False narratives, including conspiracy theories, are used by these parties to create a sense of distrust in mainstream media and portray an elite working against the people.
• Social media plays a crucial role in spreading these false narratives and mobilizing supporters.
• The upcoming parliamentary elections in Austria are expected to further intensify the rhetoric against the media.
• The global rise of populist movements, characterized by aggressive communication styles and attacks on journalists, can be observed in Austria as well.

Understanding the factors that shape the public debate is crucial in addressing the spread of disinformation during heated political campaigns.

Guests: Ingrid Brodnig, Columnist at Profil and book author expert of online extremism.

Producer and Host: Javier Luque, head of digital communications at IPI.

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• IPI-led Decoding Disinformation project

Episode 1: Setting the Scene

Episode 2: How journalists investigate the far right

Episode 3: Fact-checkers targeted by populists in Europe

Episode 4: When disinformation campaigns fuel hate and harassment

Episode 5: Alexander Roth - Smeared and threatened by the far-right next door

Episode 6: Franziska Tschinderle - Attacked by Orbán's state media

Related links mentioned in the episode:Other episodes in this series:Season 1

Austrian reporter Franziska Tschinderle was smeared and discredited for five days in a row on Hungary's most important TV news broadcast simply for doing her job.

The campaign targeting Tschinderle is the subject of a new investigation published today by the German newspaper taz as part of the IPI-led Decoding Disinformation Playbook project. Over the course of a year, a team of taz journalists spoke with former high-ranking employees of the state media system in Hungary as well as academics, activists, and politicians. Their research shows how government-controlled private and state media in Hungary are being weaponised to intimidate critical voices.

In this episode, we will delve into the case of Tschinderle with the protagonist herself and a group of investigative journalists from the German newspaper Taz investigative unit, Christian Jakob, Jean-Philipp Baeck and Luisa Kuhn, on how they conducted the investigation into his case.