On October 20, Moldovans voted by the narrowest of margins to join the European Union (EU). It was a poll marred by bribery, disinformation and “serious attempts to undermine its integrity”, according to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Moldova’s referendum can be added to the growing list of examples of the evolving threat of disinformation to our democracy in the digital age, underlining the power of those deceitful stories in influencing the votes of citizens.
As crucial as it is to regulate online platforms, as the EU institutions have done in the last few years, we also need to tell compelling stories and find narratives that move people: a theme which emerges throughout this month’s newsletter.
Facts are sacred, but if they aren’t communicated in ways that engage audiences, they will struggle to register in the attention economy — where countless, competing distractions are driven by algorithms which are designed to keep us scrolling.
Powerful storytelling can help create a vibrant civic space, and foster more inclusive European identities in a time of growing xenophobia, and we’re proud to support organisations, such as the media outlets we feature this month (see below), who are pushing boundaries in finding innovative ways to engage new audiences.
Finally, we are now in the last due diligence stage of the selection process for deciding grants in our Civic Power, and Technology & Democracy sub-fund. It was a long process, in which we engaged experts to advise us. The Selection Committees, composed of foundation partners, external evaluators and the Civitates team, will take place throughout November.
We will be announcing our new cohorts of grantee partners by early December.
In solidarity,
Elisa Peter
Director, Civitates
How can independent, public interest journalism engage new audiences at a time when the media in Europe is under intense pressure? How can journalists give citizens the facts they need to make informed decisions, and turn complex data into gripping stories?
We profile four Civitates’ grantees — Civio, Direkt36, Pismo and Pod črto — who are using inspiring, creative storytelling methods to do this: from a video game which conveys the barriers migrants face to become European citizens, to longform documentaries revealing state failures during Covid-19, and podcasts which use classic narrative techniques to powerful effect.
Together they show that independent, original public interest journalism — a democratic necessity — can flourish in the digital age.
PressOne is using a series of short videos on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to captivate younger audiences on the reality of the climate crisis. In Dr. Climate, atmospheric physics researcher Bogdan Antonescu explains Romania’s extreme weather events to younger audiences, making complex climate science accessible and engaging. It aligns with PressOne’s commitment to environmental awareness, offering clear insights into the causes behind today’s wild weather.
The EU could be moving towards a more xenophobic, ethnic and narrow-minded understanding of “Europeanness”, which could ultimately threaten the European project. That was the sobering conclusion of the European Sentiment Compass 2024 report, co-published by the European Cultural Foundation and the European Council on Foreign Relations. It identified three key “blind spots” in the EU : it remains too white, too Western, and too focused on older generations. The report calls for more inclusive participation, resisting narrow definitions of European identity, and promoting a broader civic sense of belonging.
“Don’t wait for members of parliament to build something, but propose your own solutions.” This was the message which emerged at the diagnostic debate on supported housing for people with disabilities, which was co-hosted by the Association for Our Ombudsman Initiative, in partnership with the University of Warsaw, in Poland. The event brought together over 70 practitioners, the Vice-Mayor of Warsaw, representatives from the Ombudsman’s Office, and other key stakeholders. The ultimate aim is to develop a social bill that could mark a major milestone in disability legislation, ensuring more inclusive housing solutions across Poland. See more images from the event.
AlgorithmWatch was honoured for its outstanding commitment to consumer protection, when Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister of Environment and Consumer Protection, presented it with the 2024 German Federal Consumer Protection Prize.
A 14 member jury selected AlgorithmWatch as this year’s winner of the German Foundation for Consumer Protection’s award, deserved recognition for its groundbreaking work on issues ‘that are rarely visible but increasingly penetrate our everyday lives’.
Articles from our media grantees
The digital narrative journalism magazine DIVERGENTE lifts the lid on voter abstention trends across the EU in the past 50 years. The Non-Voter Time Bomb, a data-driven investigation, uses visually engrossing storytelling to reveal connections between rising abstention rates and inequality, unemployment, and education, and spotlights ten parishes with the lowest voter turnout in Portugal.
DSA Observatory’s compelling new article, Embedded GenAI on Social Media: Platform Law Meets AI law, explores the integration of generative AI into social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. With the rollout of features like Imagine, this analysis delves into the legal complexities arising from overlapping obligations under the Digital Services Act and the AI Act.
Free at Last: Faces of Konfederacja, by Pismo magazine, offers a thought-provoking look at the Polish libertarian movement, Konfederacja, portraying its key figures in a raw and revealing light.
The Promised Land, also by Pismo magazine, explores the harsh realities and the human cost of migration and its wider political context, particularly in the aftermath of the 2021 crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border.
Lessons from our grant-making cycle in 2024
In our quest to constantly evolve as a grantmaker, we recently carried out a survey from applicants on our calls this summer for grant applications in our Civic Power and Technology & Democracy sub-funds.
The overwhelming feedback was that Civitates is a responsive donor, with particular appreciation for our continued commitment to multi-year, core funding, and our series of online information sessions for prospective applicants. Next year, we will continue those practices.
Areas where we aim to improve include, adopting a two-step application process in 2025, starting the application process earlier in the year, and providing support with proposal-writing for short-listed candidates. We are also committed to improve our outreach in our priority countries using our network of partners (foundations, grantees, aligned organisations, etc..) to inform eligible organisations about the call for proposals.
Those are just a few examples of how we plan to become a more responsible grantmaker. Discover more about our plans.
Building together a new vision for tech in society
The need for civic society to collaborate across European borders to create a healthier digital space – and the inspiring work many are doing to make it happen – was reinforced at meetings we recently attended.
In October, the Civitates team attended the EU DisinfoLab conference in Riga, Latvia. Hundreds of participants discussed subjects as varied as disinformation’s impact on elections, the challenges and opportunities arising from the enforcement of tech regulations, the dark side of online advertising and how people can unite to fight online hate.
The Civitates team also participated in the Edri tech summit and the Tech Funders meeting organised by Ariadne and Aspiration Tech in Brussels: where the main theme was the pressing issue of tech’s impact on the climate, and we were had a valuable opportunity to catch up with CSOs, policy makers, think tanks and foundations working in tech.
At the summit, it was clear that the new EU policy/legislative cycle will heavily focus on promoting competition and “sovereignty” in tech policies. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, upholding human rights and defending vulnerable people online should be the priority. It’s also evident that big tech is working hard to make the EU tech regulation toothless, by limiting enforcement and pushing the “less regulation, more innovation” slogan. A unified civil society and a strong commitment from the EU Institutions are essential to resist this, and make the new rules work.
But we also need to go further and create positive alternative visions for platforms saturated with hate and disinformation: we do not just want to fight back against big tech’s bad practices, but build a path to a better, more inclusive future for the internet.
05 / 11
The European Cultural Foundation, Culture Action Europe, Europa Nostra and BOZAR, are organising the online Annual Policy Conversation on the Cultural Deal for Europe. Sign up for the livestream here. Get the details
06 / 11 & 20 / 11
Guerrilla Foundation is hosting “Flipanthropy”, a series of events to redefine the future of philanthropy. Each session will provide an unfiltered glimpse into innovative practices that are shaking up the charitable-industrial complex. You can join any of the upcoming sessions for free. Get the details
07 / 11
“For you, Portugal, I swear!”, a documentary by DIVERGENTE, arrives in cinemas following its world premiere at the international film festival “doclisboa’24”. The first audience to experience the pre-final cut were the protagonists themselves: the DIVERGENTE team ventured to Guinea-Bissau, hosting screenings in the towns of the commandos featured in the film. Get the details
07-09 / 11
SZABAD TEREK, among other collectives, invites you to Open Spaces 2.0 – National Meeting and Open Spaces Festival in Budapest. This three-day event will bring together independent cultural spaces, civil society organisations, and community members to foster collaboration, showcase cultural diversity, and strengthen connections across Hungary. Get the details
Calls:
- The European Press Prize 2025 is open for entries until 14 December 2024. Journalists from all over Europe, including Belarus and Russia, and those working in Europe or writing for European media outlets are invited to submit their work.
- The ThinkYoung Hackathons, with support from Google.org, are looking for the most innovative solutions to fight election disinformation and reduce barriers to voting using tech. Applications for the next Hackathon are open until November 6th. You can apply here for a chance to win a prize poll of €300,000 and 8 months of acceleration.
- The European AI & Society Fund is calling for applications to two funding opportunities: the AI Act Implementation Grants, open for proposals until November 10, and the AI Accountability Grants which will receive submissions until January 6, 2025.
- Impact Deal is calling for impact enterprises — for scale-ups, profit and non-profit organisations with a focus on tackling societal and environmental challenges — to apply for the 3rd edition of its acceleration program.
We Recommend:
- This article by Peter Erdelyi offers a timely, insightful analysis of the urgent need for reform in European media funding. It highlights the challenges journalists and media organisations face in a shifting landscape, and advocates for innovative funding solutions to support independent journalism. With a clear focus on the role of public and private funding, it presents a compelling case for reform that could enhance media resilience and diversity.
- The Democracy Funders Network has published Becoming Futures Ready, a toolkit for funders with insights into how philanthropy can harness strategic foresight to bolster democracy. It provides practical guidance for funders to anticipate challenges, make informed decisions, and adapt to changing political landscapes. By focusing on proactive strategies, this resource is essential for any philanthropic organisation aiming to enhance its impact and ensure democratic resilience.
- Autocratic regimes in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Hungary, are restricting independent journalism. Citing Orban’s aggressive stance on press freedom, this article by Philea argues that philanthropic support is now more vital than ever for safeguarding independent media and promoting balanced reporting.
- The Italian government is increasingly attacking independent media organisations using SLAPPs for instance. This article by MediaPart (in french) details how media outlets, such as our grantee partner IRPI, try to survive in an increasingly shrinking media space, fighting against the dominant narrative promoted by the far-right parties in power.
