Updated to provide all 8 links.

Two years ago, we were tasked with exploring a new field of research and activities for the Bertelsmann Stiftung: countering disinformation. We launched Upgrade Democracy and set out to explore various angles and topics, but most importantly potential opportunities to fill critical gaps.

The questions we asked ourselves included: Who are the most promising (civil society) actors mitigating disinformation anywhere in the world; are there methodologies that are particularly successful, but underutilised; which obstacles do protagonists face when they take on an increasingly power- and resourceful industry of disinformation actors?

Now, we are starting to close out some of our explorations, evaluating what we learned, and identifying where we can be the most useful and supportive to the field going forward. Every Monday until September 23, we will publish a new chapter, a new reflection or insight as we are gearing up to our teams’ highlight: An international networking conference where we’re bringing together as many of the incredible protagonists we’ve met during these two years as we possibly can.

Already live and welcoming feedback and comments:

• Kai’s and my introduction to the series.
• Charlotte’s and my reflection on our international research, calling on political decision-makers to better incorporate international perspectives and increase funding for civil society networks.
• Joachim’s take on the need for a plurality of methods, and greater attention to demonetisation efforts.
• On Aug 26, Julia’s call for combining media and democracy literacy skills will follow, in which she also highlights the potential of trust-checking.
• On Sept 2, I will explore the role of monitoring social media platforms, the importance of independent research and what I think needs to happen next to fill crucial gaps.
• On Sept 9, Charlotte will zoom in on the democratisation potential of decentralised platforms and put forward a set of recommendations for policy-makers to consider.
• On Sept 16, Kai will take us a couple of steps into the future and explore what it takes to shape healthy, digital public discourse.
• Sept 23: a mobile-first version of this series will be available and distributed during our international networking conference.