On 29 September, Ruslanas Iržikevičius, Director of the Media Support Fund, participated in an international forum held at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania entitled “Information Warfare: How Do We Fight Back? Experiences of Poland, Finland and Lithuania”.
During the forum, experts, policymakers, journalists, representatives of the academic community and non-governmental organisations discussed current challenges in information security, shared their experiences and best practices in combating disinformation, strengthening public resilience and information literacy, and sought ideas for joint action.
During the event, the media was described as a weapon and a means of resistance, with particular emphasis on its role as a filter against disinformation. Representatives of various media outlets participating in the event stressed that to successfully combat disinformation through the media, greater financial support for the media sector is needed.
“As media business models collapse, it is difficult for the media to survive on their own funds alone, and without support, the fourth estate will simply not survive. And if it does survive, it will be different,” emphasised Ruslanas Iržikevičius, director of the Media Support Fund. In his speech, he also stressed that media support should not be politicised and that the Fund has all the necessary safeguards against political influence.
Rasa Navickienė, a member of the Fund’s board and head of the National Association of Regional and Local Newspaper Publishers, who participated in the event, emphasised that local government support for regional media is minimal, which is why the Fund’s programme for regional media is vitally important.
It should be noted that the Fund provides media funding under five programmes: cultural media and cultural periodicals, regional media, news, investigative and educational journalism, media in national minority languages, Lithuanian diaspora media, and a special programme for 2025–2027 to compensate for lost revenue related to restrictions on gambling advertising in the media. Each of these programmes covers key areas in the fight against disinformation.
