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The 33 organizations* part of the EDMO fact-checking network that contributed to this brief published a total of 1.760 fact-checking articles in May 2025. Out of these articles, 173 (10%) focused on Ukraine-related disinformation; 138 (8%) on disinformation related to the EU; 118 (7%) on COVID-19-related disinformation; 89 (5%) on disinformation related to immigration; 86 (5%) on the Middle Eastern regional conflict; 82 (5%) on climate change-related disinformation; and 29 (2%) on disinformation about LGBTQ+ and gender issues.
Disinformation about the conflict in the Middle East increases significantly after months of minimal relevance. False information on Covid-19 also made a comeback, rising by three percentage points and reaching the highest value since May 2023 (7%). False news related to the war in Ukraine and the EU, which are still the most targeted topics by disinformation in the month of May, remained stable on the levels registered in April, respectively 10% and 8%.
The shares of false information about the other topics monitored by these briefs remained stable or showed only minor fluctuations.
AI-GENERATED DISINFORMATION
The percentage of disinformation stories using AI-generated content remained stable in May, resembling April’s figures. Out of 1.760 fact-checking articles, 110 addressed the use of this technology in disinformation, representing 6% of the total.
AI-generated disinformation targeted the electoral campaigns in Poland, with a video of liberal candidate Rafal Trzaskowski allegedly stating that he does not believe in democracy. Similarly, the elections in Romania were also subjected to false news, and a deepfake video of newly elected president Nicusor Dan dancing circulated widely. Interestingly, there was also a case of AI used as an alleged proof that the media fabricated the figure of the Syrian man who overpowered the perpetrator of a knife attack in Hamburg (Germany) on May 23, 2025.
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