Disinformation Dynamics in the Mediterranean Region: Analysing Strategies and Narratives during the 2024 European Elections

In the era of big data and social media, evaluating information quality is crucial as traditional propaganda methods merge with influencers, viral sharing, and automated disinformation. This dynamic landscape poses a significant threat to democracy, particularly during crises, elections, or breaking news, when attention and online activity increase, attracting actors attempting to manipulate public opinion. This study examines emerging disinformation campaigns in Greece, Cyprus, and Malta, strategically positioned at the southeastern cross-border line of the EU. These countries face socio-political challenges, fostering an environment marked by uncertainty and occasional instability, including the migration crisis, conflicts with neighboring countries, environmental issues, and economic-political instability, fueling polarizing rhetoric and hate speech. Our objective is to provide a comprehensive insight into disinformation strategies affecting electoral processes in these Mediterranean countries, focusing on the European Elections of 2024. Leveraging the Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory (MedDMO) framework, we analyze election-related false stories and disinformation narratives collected by fact-checking organizations in Greece, Cyprus, and Malta during the pre-electoral and post-electoral periods. The primary research questions are: i) What are the main narratives, rhetoric, and topic-related disinformation circulated in the three countries before and after the European Elections of 2024?; ii) Which methods, including AI utilization, are used to spread disinformation?; and iii) Who are the main actors, and what is the impact of the disinformation campaigns? The study examines patterns of actors, concepts, practices, and tools through a dataset of fact-checks generated by MedDMO, a hub of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), co-funded by the EU to combat disinformation in Greece, Cyprus, and Malta. The analysis also incorporates false information verified by local and international independent fact-checking organizations. For inclusion in the analysis, false stories must exhibit a clear connection to the electoral process or address issues pertinent to the political debate and party agendas. Additionally, false information targeting politicians or political parties, as well as misinformation disseminated or endorsed by politicians, will be considered for thorough examination. Advanced verification tools for image and video analysis enhance the discernment of forgeries in multimedia content. This comprehensive approach enables a detailed understanding of the commonalities and distinctions in actors, vectors, and tools of disinformation campaigns across the three countries before and after the European Elections of 2024.