Disinfo Down Under

Restoring trust and credibility in journalism, the media, and publicly shared information against the distortions of a growing global spin cycle World Human Rights Day - Wednesday 10 Dec 2025 Sydney Australia and Online

Trust in journalism, the media, and public information has become one of the most pressing challenges of our everyday lives worldwide. Misinformation and disinformation are spreading at unprecedented speed, fuelled by how globally connected we all are through social media, the rise of generative AI and deepfake technologies that make manipulation easier and more convincing than ever, and the huge pressure on financially challenged media organisations trying to survive in a disrupted landscape.

Audiences are caught in a fast-moving spin cycle where truth competes with cheaper news that is faster to deliver, political actors add extra layers of distortion, along with the ever present commercial influences skewing reporting in their favour and the standards and ethics of journalism are under relentless pressure. More and more, people are asking who and what they can believe, and whether independent reporting can still deliver accountability and truth in such a volatile information environment.

This erosion of trust in news is happening alongside the global rise of fascism and authoritarian movements, which exploit weakened media ecosystems to advance their agendas. Press freedom is shrinking, with journalists facing censorship, surveillance, intimidation, violence, and even death in many parts of the world. The very conditions that enable democracy to function - open information, credible reporting, and a free press able to speak truth to power - are under attack. Authoritarian actors are flooding the zone with disinformation as a deliberate tool of control.

Technology and social media platforms have intensified these challenges. Algorithms that reward outrage over accuracy and keep people trapped in filter bubbles of like-minded ideas help misinformation spread faster than credible journalists can keep up. At the same time, major platforms have scaled back their commitment to policing falsehoods. Both foreign interference and domestic lobbying take advantage of these gaps, especially during elections, while declining local journalism and shrinking newsroom budgets leave fewer safeguards to counter manipulation and hold power to account.

This new one-day event will confront the full scope of this crisis - how the global spin cycle, authoritarian pressures, digital disruption, and the fractures undermining journalism’s credibility are eroding public trust. We want to ask what it will take to rebuild credibility, restore confidence in publicly available information, and support the initiatives already underway, both locally and globally, that aim to strengthen journalism’s role. Our goal is to ensure journalism can continue to defend truth against distortion, propaganda, and the creeping normalisation of authoritarianism in our society. 

Topics to be explored in our first year include:

• Global and local trends in misinformation and disinformation

• Whistleblower protections, transparency, and truth in public office

• Speaking truth to power

• Erosion of public trust in journalism and the media

• Authoritarian strategies of “flooding the zone” with disinformation

• Foreign interference and political cyber warfare

• Deaths of journalists in Gaza and truth in conflict reporting

• News fatigue and news avoidance

• Investing in and valuing investigative journalism in a changing media business environment

• Climate denial 2.0 and the growth of "community centric" disinformation

• Paid junkets and fee-for-commentary media influence

• Corporate and lobbyist power over the media

• Media and news literacy education

• Age verification, emerging government social media access restrictions, and youth exposure to misinformation

• Social media fact-checking rollbacks and algorithmic amplification of outrage
  

Our focus is on connecting journalists, editors, fact-checkers, civil liberties campaigners, academics, policymakers, advocates, technologists, lawyers, security, educators and other interested parties to work towards real positive change together. I want to create a forum that is deeply considered and worthwhile, taking discussion and action agendas forward in a material and helpful way.

I’m currently speaking with leaders in journalism, media, technology, research and civil liberties to get their views on the most relevant and timely focus areas to make sure the event brings strong value to participants. If you're interested in collaborating around event development or want to find out more about speaking, attendance, sponsorship and partnership opportunities, please reach out to me at alicia@strongerground.co. If this project resonates with you, we encourage you to join us and contribute to this critical discussion.