Fake news in Visegrad: overused and underestimated

The Visegrad Four countries lack a coordinated policy on fake news, often treating it as an external security threat while ignoring misinformation spread by their own ruling elites. While the Czech Republic has a dedicated government body for hybrid threats and Poland participates in international counter-hybrid warfare centers, Slovakia relies more on civil society and commercial initiatives to filter dubious content. Hungary is noted for a lack of active government opposition to fake news, with the ruling party itself accused of spreading conspiracy theories. The document warns that this fragmented landscape increases vulnerability to pro-Kremlin influence and populist rhetoric, potentially impacting the 2019 EU parliamentary elections.

• The Visegrad Four states lack a consistent or coordinated policy on fake news, generally perceiving it as an external threat while ignoring misinformation disseminated by their own political leaders.
• In the Czech Republic, fake news is managed as a security issue by the 20-person Centre against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats under the Ministry of Interior, focusing on external players rather than internal political actors like President Miloš Zeman.
• Slovakia has no specialized government unit for fake news and is considered highly vulnerable due to its political elites' perceptions of the Kremlin and energy ties to Russia.
• The Hungarian government does not actively combat fake news; instead, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán uses conspiracy theories and state-supported media to target opponents like George Soros.
• Poland is the only Visegrad country in the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, yet internally, the term 'fake news' is frequently used as a tool in political conflict between the Law and Justice Party and the opposition.
• A 2017 Vulnerability Index rated Hungary as the most vulnerable to Russian informational warfare (57 out of 100) and Poland as the least vulnerable (30 out of 100).
• The European Union's approach to fake news has evolved from the 2015 East Stratcom Task Force, which focused on Russia, to a 2018 high-level group tasked with a communication plan as part of the Digital Single Market portfolio.

APA

Sadouskaya-Komlach, M. (2018). Fake news in Visegrad: overused and underestimated. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fake-news-in-visegrad-overused-and-underestimated/

Chicago

Sadouskaya-Komlach, Maryia. Fake news in Visegrad: overused and underestimated. Green European Journal, 2018. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fake-news-in-visegrad-overused-and-underestimated/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sadouskaya-Komlach |first1=Maryia |title=Fake news in Visegrad: overused and underestimated |publisher=Green European Journal |date=9 February 2018 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fake-news-in-visegrad-overused-and-underestimated/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sadouskayakomlach2018fake, author = {Sadouskaya-Komlach, Maryia}, title = {{Fake news in Visegrad: overused and underestimated}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2018}, month = feb, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fake-news-in-visegrad-overused-and-underestimated/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }