Roundtable in Athens Examined Disinformation and Freedom of Expression

The , in collaboration with Panteion University, held a roundtable in Athens, Greece, in early October to discuss disinformation and freedom of expression from comparative European and global perspectives.

Senior University Researcher Matti Pohjonen and Doctoral Researcher Amanuel Tesfaye Kebede participated in the event. Together they lead the Ethiopian work package of the ARM Project, researching authoritarian practices of information suppression in digital environments through different methodologies.

The Athens event brought together journalists, researchers, and human rights experts to discuss how information control, disinformation, and shrinking media independence affect both authoritarian and democratic societies. 

Speakers noted that restrictions on free speech are no longer limited to repressive regimes. ARM Scientific Coordinator Lovise Aalen highlighted that “illiberal practices span across regime types,” while David Díaz-Jogeix of warned of a “deterioration of standards of freedom of expression in the EU.”

The Greek media landscape provided a vivid example of these challenges. Journalists Nektaria Stamouli (Politico, Kathimerini) and Eliza Triantafyllou (Inside Story) described growing editorial control and self-censorship, while Professor Dimitris Christopoulos of Panteion University observed that the press is “free, but not independent.”

Despite the worrying trends, Aalen emphasized that progress is possible, citing recent improvements in countries like Brazil and Poland. The EU Horizon-funded ARM Project will continue to investigate the transnational nature of information control and its impact on freedom of expression.