| A-WEB Completes Needs Assessment Survey to Strengthen Member EMBs’ Capacity to Counter Disinformation |
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| Last updated 2025-07-18 |
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In line with the principles of the A-WEB Charter, the A-WEB Secretariat continues its commitment to supporting the institutional development of its Member EMBs. As part of these efforts, a needs assessment survey was recently conducted to better understand the current capacities, challenges, and training priorities of EMBs in addressing media-related threats—particularly the growing impact of disinformation and fake news in electoral processes.
The survey, completed at the end of June 2025, gathered responses from 47
EMBs across 45 countries (excluding duplicate responses
from the same organization). Of these, 39
EMBs expressed interest in participating in future training, while the
remaining eight respondents indicated uncertainty by selecting “I don’t know.
The survey aimed to: · Assess organizational readiness and existing practices for managing media and information-related challenges; · Identify common obstacles arising from false or misleading information during elections; ·
Determine
key areas where further training and support are most needed.
The findings provided valuable insight into the current state of
preparedness among A-WEB member EMBs and highlighted a clear demand for
practical, targeted training programs to counter the effects of information
disorder in democratic processes.
The main implications and detailed survey findings, including key
statistics, are followed:
❏ A total of 47 EMBs from 45 countries responded to the survey on the 2025 Media Capacity Development Program (excluding duplicates).
❏ Most of the
responding EMBs had recently conducted elections or were preparing for upcoming
ones. Many reported difficulty in
effectively countering false or misleading information related to elections.
Some EMBs indicated that they lacked dedicated departments or personnel to
manage media-related issues, responding on a case-by-case basis, temporarily
operating public inquiry offices during election periods, or developing
internal guidelines. This reflects a strong need for capacity-building programs
to address misinformation and fake news.
❏ In response to survey
question asking which types of fake news or disinformation had been
encountered during recent elections, 56% of respondents cited "vote-rigging
conspiracy theories," followed by "manipulated
ballot/counting videos" and "false information about
specific parties/candidates" (34%), "fake opinion
polls" (30%), "fraudulent recruitment announcements
claiming to be from EMBs" (22%), and "false
information about voting dates or polling station changes" (14%). ※Additional responses
included disinformation allegedly leaked from EMB boards with political
motives, false claims regarding voter list preparation, installation of
surveillance cameras in polling stations, and discovery or external circulation
of ballots.
❏ Regarding efforts to provide accurate information to
voters during recent elections:
·
94%
reported distributing official information via social media channels or
websites;
·
78%
conducted campaigns using pamphlets, broadcast media, or text messages;
·
Around
10% indicated that no such activities were carried out.
❏ In terms of responses to misinformation:
·
92%
issued official press releases or clarifications;
·
84%
responded quickly via social media or websites;
·
52%
collaborated with external fact-checking organizations. ❏ Social media (e.g. FaceBook, X) was identified as the most common channel for the spread of disinformation, cited by 96% of respondents.
❏ Topics deemed
essential for the A-WEB Media Capacity Development Program included
- Use of tools for
detecting and analyzing fake news
- Crisis communication strategies
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