Standing with truth: EU strategies to fight disinformation in the age of post-truth politics 

The paper scrutinises the EU approach to disinformation in light of its underlying problem definitions, ascriptions of responsibility and proposed solutions. The EU Action Plan Against Disinformation is not only an appeal for the extension of EU authority and regulatory competences, but also raises a number of questions about the self-understanding of a supranational political entity such as the EU as a defender of truth. Before engaging in any type of policy analysis or assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of the proposed measures, we therefore need to ask critically how the post-truth challenge is identified by the EU and how disinformation as a collective problem is framed to authorize EU action. What does it mean for the EU to ‘stand on the side of truth’? How do EU actors and institutions identify the post-truth challenge and what justifications are given for the necessity to take action in the defense of truth? As we are going to argue, the EU’s claim to step forward as a defender of democracy and values and as a defender of truth creates possible tensions that do not only need to be settled conceptually, but also translate into social and political conflicts, involving states, global media companies in the digital media business, traditional journalism and increasingly also groups of media users and citizens. The establishment of EU regulatory competences in these areas adds fuel to these controversies and by trying to settle epistemic conflicts about truth might become a driver of intensified value conflicts and struggles over democracy in Europe.