Ivana Grkeš and Marko Roško from the Mass communications department at the University of Dubrovnik participated in the second day of the closing conference of the Jean Monnet Network DebatEU titled Debating Europe: Exchanges on the EU Democracy Gap. The conference took place at the Interuniversity Centre in Dubrovnik.

Professor Claudia Wiesner, the head of the Jean Monnet Network, opened the conference with a lecture titled Critical Informed Citizens or Critical Informed Consumers? presenting the results of the DebatEU project. Through debates, the project encouraged dialogue about the European Union, focusing on citizens critical perspectives and their separation from the Union. Students from six countries expressed a predominantly positive attitude but also raised criticisms regarding complexity, lack of transparency, and unmet expectations.

Project manager of the ADMO project at the University of Dubrovnik, Ivana Grkeš, introduced the attendees to the goals and activities of the Adria Digital Media Observatory noting that it is a multidisciplinary center for fact-checking and researching disinformation narratives in the digital environment. It promotes and educates on media and digital literacy, participates in advocacy and implementation of public policies, and is part of EDMO, the largest interdisciplinary EU network for combating disinformation.

Marko Roško presented how the University of Dubrovnik conducts fact-checking through DU – CHECK, an initiative focused on fighting disinformation and strengthening media literacy. He emphasized the goal of creating a more resilient society equipped with tools to recognize and reject fake news, thereby increasing awareness of disinformation. Roško also shared recent examples they have researched.

Conference participants had the opportunity to ask the panelists a series of questions on current topics, including electoral processes, disinformation, and the use of artificial intelligence. They also discussed the importance of quality journalism and educating the public on media and digital literacy.