‘The evolution of disinformation’ in Baltic States and lessons from Lithuania

Disinformation is the order of the day for Lithuania, a Baltic State that has a long history of dealing with Russian aggression and has been on the frontlines in combatting Kremlin-backed disinformation and propaganda.

- By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe

According to geopolitical experts, the majority of the disinformation encountered in Lithuania is of Russian origin and is often intended for international audiences in order to undermine NATO, the EU, and the West in general while promoting Russian legitimacy and authority. But in order to counter this growing threat of disinformation, which is now being perceived as a security risk, collective interventions are required to debunk these narratives.

As part of the Indo-Pacific Media Resilience study tour funded by the European Union and facilitated by Internews, this writer along with several other Sri Lankan journalists had the opportunity to visit Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania and observe how Lithuania’s public broadcaster, military and individual newsrooms have doubled their efforts to provide accurate information to the public.

A public broadcaster's perspective

The Lithuanian public broadcaster Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) is at the forefront of providing media literacy and conducting educational campaigns for the public in an attempt to debunk disinformation and propaganda campaigns. According to Aleksandra Ketleriene, Deputy Editor of lrtlt, LRT’s online news portal, disinformation and propaganda aren't something new for Lithuania. While disinformation was largely an issue faced by Western Europe, it has now become an equal issue in Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine as well.