As of 1 September 2025, the Adriatic Digital Media Observatory (ADMO) has entered a new phase through the ADMO 2.0 project – a cross-border initiative dedicated to strengthening society’s resilience to disinformation and the challenges of the digital environment. Led by the University of Dubrovnik, ADMO 2.0 brings together nine partner organisations from Croatia, Slovenia, and France: the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Zagreb, Gong, RTL Croatia, Presscut Ltd., the University of Ljubljana, Oštro Slovenia, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and XWiki. The consortium is focused on developing media literacy programmes, combating harmful disinformation narratives, and fostering a democratic, resilient, and well-informed society.
Building on previous successful cooperation, ADMO 2.0 unites researchers, journalists, fact-checkers, media experts, and civil society organisations into a single multidisciplinary centre. Over the next two and a half years, the project partners will work across three priority areas: research, fact-checking, and media literacy. The project will focus on:
- monitoring and analysing disinformation trends in the region based on scientific research,
- exposing harmful online content through fact-checking articles,
- strengthening critical thinking among citizens through media literacy and innovative technological solutions,
- monitoring and reporting on the implementation of European regulatory frameworks in Croatia and Slovenia,
- enhancing cooperation with the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and other European disinformation response hubs.
“When we launched ADMO in 2023, we set ourselves an ambitious but necessary goal: to create a regional hub that would monitor, analyse, and counter disinformation in Croatia and Slovenia, firmly connected to the EDMO network. Today, we can say that we have succeeded. We have built something lasting, valuable, and significant – not only for our institutions but for the democracy we live in. ADMO 2.0 continues our mission to empower communities to fight disinformation,” said Prof. Mato Brautović, PhD, project coordinator at the University of Dubrovnik.
The University of Ljubljana has joined the consortium as a new project partner, internationally recognised for its expertise in disinformation research and in the field of journalism and media studies.
“Edmund Burke once said: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ In the era of disinformation, manipulation, and attempts to undermine democracy, we must not and will not remain silent. The role of universities is to protect and promote knowledge, credible information, and research based on reliable data. We are proud to participate in such an important project as ADMO 2.0 and believe that we will contribute to uncovering the scale and nature of disinformation in the Adriatic region,” said Prof. Marko Milosavljević, PhD, from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana.
Oštro Slovenia and AFP continue their fact-checking activities, introducing new video formats and longer analytical articles.
“In today’s digital world, where disinformation spreads faster than ever, media literacy has become essential. That is why ADMO’s mission – fostering a cross-border culture of critical thinking and informed civic participation – is more important than ever,” said Nina Rozman, Deputy Editor of Razkrinkavanje.si.
“At AFP, we are particularly pleased to continue working on this project, which allows us to reach a wide audience. Articles that debunk disinformation and fake news, while supporting media literacy activities, are crucial for society,” emphasised Pierre Ausseill, Director of AFP Europe.
Gong continues to develop media literacy programmes in cooperation with partners.
“Media literacy helps citizens understand the messages that surround them. Through our activities, we encourage them to think critically about digital content and better understand the technological changes that shape our reality. As part of civil society, Gong continues to provide practical information and engage citizens in creating positive social change,” said Milica Bogdanović, media literacy expert.
Presscut Ltd. is developing VerifAI, an AI/NLP platform for real-time fact-checking.
“ADMO 2.0 plays a key role in connecting researchers, media, and civil society to identify harmful narratives and develop practical media literacy programmes. Such coordination strengthens our individual efforts, speeds up the detection of disinformation in multiple languages, and turns good practices into tangible results. Citizens will have access to our VerifAI platform to verify information quickly and reliably on their own,” said Jasmina Garaj Golubiček, CEO of Presscut.
XWiki continues to provide open-source technical support, ensuring the availability of all project results.
“As a European company with a multicultural team, XWiki is proud to contribute to the second phase of the ADMO project through its platform. Our portal showcases the work of journalists, researchers, and media literacy professionals, offering valuable content to the public in three languages,” said Ludovic Dubost, Founder and CEO of XWiki.
ADMO 2.0 is co-funded by the European Commission under the Digital Europe Programme. The project continues to strengthen regional and cross-sectoral cooperation, with the aim of building a resilient society in an era marked by information disorder.
