Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
398. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the progress of the implementation of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy; the actions taken or planned to improve the digital and media literacy of citizens to counter the potential for radicalisation of individuals online; the initiative or steps Coimisiún na Meán has taken or plans to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11488/26]
View answerThe National Counter Disinformation Strategy was published in April 2025. The strategy sets out 9 commitments and 36 actions to help counter this complex problem.
A Steering Committee, chaired by my Department, was established in June 2025 to drive and monitor implementation and it has met on four occasions since. A broader Coordination Group, also chaired by my Department, has been established to support the Steering Committee and facilitate broader consultation and insights. The membership of both groups along with minutes of meetings and terms of reference as well as a recent update on progress are available on the Department's website.
Under Commitment 4 of the Strategy, Coimisiún na Meán will work closely with Media Literacy Ireland (MLI), the Irish hub of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) at DCU FuJo and others on a range of actions that will help empower people with media literacy skills.
Progress highlights include the first MLI/EDMO Ireland Disinformation Forum held on 23 June 2025, the MLI Annual Conference held in November 2025 and DCU FuJo’s submission of a large-scale EU funding proposal for a project on youth radicalisation, including conspiracism, misogyny and anti-migrant hate, examining the role of disinformation.
In fulfilment of the Programme for Government commitment to support implementation of the Strategy, I secured €1.1 million in Budget 2026 which will be allocated in support of media literacy initiatives, fact-checking and research, all of which are identified as commitments and actions in the Strategy. My officials are currently engaging with Coimisiún na Meán regarding the disbursement of this funding and I look forward to further developments on this in the near future.
