Estonia’s answer to Russian disinformation is to fund real journalism
In this edition, Estonia experiments with offering grants to help independent media bridge language barriers and combat misinformation campaigns.
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Estonia is entering the second year of what I’ll call “corkboard accountability.” And the European Union, along with other nations concerned about the increased threats of Russian and Chinese disinformation, should take note.
On one of my first days as a reporter for a local newspaper in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, a bartender at my nightly haunt gave me a stern warning as she served a round of drinks. “Just don't end up on the wall of shame,” she said, pointing to a corkboard in a distant corner of the room. Poor writing, unimaginative reporting or egregious spelling and grammar mistakes would land my clips, in full public view, on the corkboard — a form of vigilante, if necessary, accountability in a town of about 30,000 people.