Mediacentar Sarajevo, in cooperation with the French organization After War and the Regional Institute for Press Development from Ukraine, is organizing a panel discussion on combating disinformation in wartime and post-war contexts. The event will be held online on Tuesday, May 26, starting at 15:00.

 

At the event, the Resource for Journalists created as part of the "War & Lies" project will be presented, and the working language is English.

 

Journalists, researchers, students, and all interested participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and France are invited to attend.
 

In times of war and in their aftermath, disinformation is not a marginal phenomenon. It becomes a weapon in its own right—one that operates beyond the battlefield, shaping perceptions, distorting realities, and influencing the course of events long after the guns fall silent.

 

False narratives circulate faster than verified information. They take root in public discourse, polarise societies, and undermine the possibility of shared truth. More importantly, they produce tangible consequences: individuals are stigmatised, victims are denied recognition, crimes are contested or erased, and collective memory itself becomes a site of conflict.

 

In post-war contexts, these dynamics are even more critical. Disinformation does not simply accompany violence—it prolongs it. By rewriting the past, denying atrocities, or manipulating identities, it obstructs justice processes and weakens fragile attempts at reconciliation.

 

Faced with this reality, journalism is confronted with a fundamental challenge: how can truth be conveyed when facts themselves are systematically contested or manipulated? How can journalists reach audiences in environments where distrust is pervasive and falsehoods are often more compelling than evidence?

 

The War & Lies project was born out of these questions. It brought together 11 journalists from France, Ukraine, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, resulting in seven stories and a digital Resource designed to support journalists and other media professionals working on these issues in the future.