Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in the Postfactual Age

Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in the Postfactual Age

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RECLAIM is a three-year research project funded by the Horizon Europe programme of the European Union

30/09/2025

✨ The RECLAIM project wraps up today! ✨

🎙️ To mark the final day, we’re releasing the last episode of our podcast: Post-truth be told!

In this episode, hosts Luis Bouza Garcia (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) and Álvaro Oleart (ULB - Université libre de Bruxelles) talk with Alessia Chiriatti & Federico Castiglioni (Istituto Affari Internazionali - IAI) about how citizenship education can empower people to resist post-truth politics.

👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/760QQPKxpY2AKWKc8MiP3T?si=WdRLPxE_SpmHBiinCeComQ

👉 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/educating-for-democracy-empowering-citizens-to-identify/id1763897882?i=1000729132970

👏 Explore all RECLAIM activities and resources here: reclaim.hi.is/en

Alþjóðamálastofnun Háskóla Íslands, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of International Relations Prague / Ústav mezinárodních vztahů, Goldsmiths, University of London, ARENA - Centre for European Studies, Uniwersytet Jagielloński, University of Victoria, Scuola Normale Superiore, Institut za razvoj i međunarodne odnose, New Bulgarian University, Liechtenstein-Institut

24/09/2025

🚨 New Episode Alert! Episode 10 of the RECLAIM podcast, "Post-Truth be Told"

🔊 In this episode, we unpack three proposals on democratic responses to disinformation, from social media regulation and algorithmic transparency to strengthening public service media. We also explore calls for a holistic EU-wide strategy on information integrity.

👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vTsiXJptrcJeiaYD3T56g?si=Y-z0POzQQbO7H1LTx2fEYg
👉 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/policy-alternatives-to-eus-regulation-of-disinformation/id1763897882?i=1000726847675
🌐 More info on the RECLAIM website: https://reclaim.hi.is/en/

🎤 Hosts: Luis Bouza, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Álvaro Oleart, ULB - Université libre de Bruxelles

👥Guest: Julia Rone, Assistant Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

🎧 Tune in — and don’t forget to subscribe!

TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association

16/09/2025

🎙️ Out now! Episode 9 of the RECLAIM podcast, "Post-Truth be Told"

🔊 Recorded at the RECLAIM Final Conference, this special episode explores the European Union media ecosystem — from the relationship between EU media and EU institutions, to the shifting business models of EU media.

👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Q9WD6VZlgV17VXtxAGGL6?si=cl22tgIRQfqaavSH3vGpIg
👉 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reclaim-final-conference-entitled-frontiers-of-truth/id1763897882?i=1000724327747
🌐 More info on the RECLAIM website: https://reclaim.hi.is/en/

🎤 Host: Álvaro Oleart, FNRS Postdoctoral Researcher, ULB - Université libre de Bruxelles

👥 Guests:
Ciara Bottomley, Amnesty International
Paola Tamma, Financial Times
James Kanter, EU Scream

🎧 Tune in — and don’t forget to subscribe!

TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association

11/09/2025

‼️ RECLAIM for Media Literacy
👉 a practical & accessible instrument to help you deliver successful media literacy trainings🎙️

Including:
👩‍🏫 A teaching module with information on the expected outcomes
📰 A facilitator's guide for each of the training's sessions
💻 Teaching slides to share with your students
🖇️ Extra resources for more in-depth analysis
The toolkit was prepared by Media Literacy Educator Ricardo Castellini da Silva in collaboration with RECLAIM

Find out more and it now on TEPSA's website
🔗 https://tepsa.eu/analysis/reclaim-toolkit-for-media-literacy/

Alþjóðamálastofnun Háskóla Íslands TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Institute of International Relations Prague / Ústav mezinárodních vztahů Goldsmiths, University of London ARENA - Centre for European Studies Uniwersytet Jagielloński University of Victoria Scuola Normale Superiore Institut za razvoj i međunarodne odnose New Bulgarian University Istituto Affari Internazionali - IAI Liechtenstein-Institut Háskóli Íslands

08/09/2025

⚖️ When feelings outweigh facts, democracy is at risk.

🌀 “Alternative facts,” AI-driven disinformation, and distrust in science and journalism point to a deep crisis of the liberal democratic order.

💡 But it’s not too late!
🎬 This new animated explainer by our partners at TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association shows what the EU must do to counter the post-truth condition. The explainer is based on Maximilian Conrad’s publication, “Reclaiming the epistemic basis of liberal democracy.”

This is the final video explainer of the Horizon-funded RECLAIM project.

📖 Read the full article here:https://ams.overcastcdn.com/documents/RECLAIM_Discussion_Paper_2025_1_Max_doi.pdf

01/09/2025

📜 We often hear that “history is written by the winners” — but in today’s contested information age, global powers are racing to shape the narratives of international events 🌍

🤔 How do they do it?
⚠️ And what are the risks posed by the digitalisation of global politics?

🎥 The latest Animated Explainer by our partners at TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association delves into the complex world of digital diplomacy, examining how Russia, China, and the US have leveraged their online presence on platforms like X to frame their responses to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

📖 The video draws on insights from the RECLAIM publication:
"Contestation over truth regimes: Russia, China and the US digital diplomacy on the Russian invasion of Ukraine"
by Petr Kratochvíl, Ondřej Ditrych, and Jan Švec at Institute of International Relations Prague / Ústav mezinárodních vztahů

🔗 Read the full report: https://reclaim.hi.is/is/publication/179/

29/08/2025

📰 RECLAIM’s Policy Recommendations: Strengthening the Public Sphere

The rapid spread of lies, mis/disinformation, and conspiracy theories is fragmenting our public sphere into echo chambers and filter bubbles. The EU has made significant efforts to regulate online content, but its approach is still reliant on cooperation from Big Tech. What else can we do to strengthen public deliberation?

Experts from our Horizon Europe-funded RECLAIM project propose three key recommendations:
✅ Protect quality journalism through firm regulation and sustainable funding.
✅ Empower citizens with media literacy and citizenship education toolkits.
✅ Create a new governance model for social media — independent from governments, commercial, and special interests.

🔗 Explore our latest Policy Briefs: https://reclaim.hi.is/is/publication/?cat=policy

🔗 Download the infographic to learn more: https://tepsa.eu/analysis/reclaims-policy-recommendations-strengthening-the-public-sphere/

TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association

28/08/2025

As the spread of and the rise of post-truth politics continue to threaten democratic deliberation, how can we defend European ? ➡️ Experts from the RECLAIM project propose three key recommendations:

1️⃣ Priming politicians for post-truth;
2️⃣ Countering foreign information manipulation and interference;
3️⃣ Increasing visibility and coordination among Member States.

This infographic showcases the recommendations put forward by RECLAIM authors in the following policy briefs:
🔹 “Priming Politicians for Post-Truth”, by Ole Frahm (Alþjóðamálastofnun Háskóla Íslands), with contributions by Karolina Czerska-Shaw and Maciej Stępka (Uniwersytet Jagielloński)
🔹 “Countering FIMI through Digital Diplomacy in Europe”, by Jonáš Syrovátka (Institute of International Relations Prague / Ústav mezinárodních vztahů)
🔹 “EU Defence of Democracy”, by Luis Bouza Garcia and Elena García-Guitián (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

Download the infographic here 🔗 https://tepsa.eu/.../reclaims-policy-recommendations.../
Read the Policy Briefs 👉 https://reclaim.hi.is/is/publication/?cat=policy&fbclid=IwZnRzaAMdGf5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkxsjw2YG6_zkCQgVJLkaZ66LhcdGk1eMouzagb80dASszY0PhuDgkMJQ9sr_aem_9EDToYb5uhgWbYcV5YslMA

TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association

22/08/2025

📲 How has post-truth politics evolved in recent years?
🤔 What are governments doing to counter the impact of mis- and disinformation?

🔍 As the RECLAIM project approaches its conclusion this September, we asked our Principal Investigator, Maximilian Conrad, to share his key reflections on the project's research and discuss the next steps for strengthening liberal democracies.



TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association, Alþjóðamálastofnun Háskóla Íslands, Stjórnmálafræðideild við HÍ / Political Science

18/08/2025

Why have COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine been such turning points for Europe?

📲 These events didn’t just disrupt our societies — they unleashed an infodemic: a surge of fake news, vaccine misinformation, and conspiracy theories spreading through digital spaces at an unprecedented pace

🇪🇺How should the EU respond? Should it strengthen regulation, or consider a hard-power approach?

👉 Find out in our new TEPSA Animated Explainer, based on insights from the RECLAIM publication “The European Approach to Online Disinformation: Geopolitical and Regulatory Dissonance” by Andreu Casero-Ripollés, Jorge Tuñón, and Luis Bouza-García.

🎥 Watch the Animated Explainer now here below 👇

14/08/2025

🧐 Does journalistic style influence how credible we find information? Are we more likely to believe a story written with emotionally charged language?

Find out in the latest TEPSA infographic:
🔗 https://tepsa.eu/analysis/journalistic-style-and-the-credibility-of-misinformation/

Based on the RECLAIM discussion paper “News Credibility in the Age of Misinformation” by Martin Moland, Jacopo Custodi, Hans-Jörg Trenz, and Asimina Michailidou, this infographic draws on research from Norway, Italy, and Poland to show how tabloidization affects public trust in news — and how prior beliefs shape our perception of truth.

📖 Read the full report: https://reclaim.hi.is/en/publication/172/

ARENA - Centre for European Studies
Scuola Normale Superiore
TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association

11/08/2025

🎙️ Out now! Episode 8 of the RECLAIM podcast, "Forget FOMO, This is FIMI"

🔊 Listen now as we explore how the EU's emerging FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference) framework shifts the focus from truthfulness to intent in combating foreign influence — raising critical questions about transparency, bias, and the limits of democratic defense!

👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4nDs0M9W8oans47QPmmSRl?si=_kSvmjhxTWCgKHFpa1pA6A
👉 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forget-fomo-this-is-fimi/id1763897882?i=1000721506620
More info on the RECLAIM website: https://reclaim.hi.is/en/

🎤 Host: Lucas Proto, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
👤 Guest editor: Jan Daniel, Senior Researcher, Institute of International Relations Prague / Ústav mezinárodních vztahů
👥 Guests: Charlotte Wagnsson, Professor of Political Science, Swedish Defence University & Domenico Valenza, Foreign Policy Practitioner and Associate Research Fellow, UNU-CRIS

Tune in and don’t forget to subscribe!

TEPSA The Trans European Policy Studies Association, Háskóli Íslands

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