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Building an Enabling Environment for DEMocratic Debate. THE DEM-Debate project

Black and white adaptations of the Wikipedia 20 symbols by Karabo Poppy Moletsane and Jasmina El Bouamraoui, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Black and white adaptations of the Wikipedia 20 symbols by Karabo Poppy Moletsane and Jasmina El Bouamraoui, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia has a significant impact on our everyday lives. The largest free knowledge platform on the internet, we regularly rely on its accessible, up-to-date information to form our opinions, even on critical events such as elections.
While most of the research has focused on how large, commercial platforms address disinformation, less attention has been given to platforms non-profit, community-led platforms such as Wikipedia.
The DEM-Debate project aims to fill this gap by exploring whether, and how, the fact-checking and moderation practices used by Wikipedia during the 2024 European Parliament election have enhanced the reliability of the information ecosystem. It also seeks to determine if these practices can be transferred to other online contexts, fostering an environment that nurtures a more democratic debate.

A new horizon for the information ecosystem

DEM-Debate aims to

  • Assess how EU frameworks support free knowledge projects with a community-led model such as Wikipedia’s.
  • Identify fact-checking and moderation strategies used by Wikipedia’s volunteer editors to manage disinformation during high-stakes moments like elections. 
  • Identify Wikipedia’s transferable practices that can be applied to other platforms and contexts to strengthen democratic debate online.
  • Providing actionable insights for policymakers and community-governed projects based on evidence on Wikipedia fact-checking and moderation practices.

Innovative approaches to understanding community-based projects

Through interdisciplinary, transnational research, DEM-Debate will

  • Analyse the current EU policies and frameworks are applicable to platforms addressing disinformation like Wikipedia
  • Investigate interaction patterns across Wikipedia’s edit histories and talk pages related to elections to identify trends and conflicts
  • Engage Wikipedia communities across Europe in a participatory research to map their practices, ensuring that the project’s outcomes are grounded in practical, real-world challenges
  • Develop evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and community-based to contribute to a reliable, pluralistic online information ecosystem.

Impacting policy and public interest information

The evidence-based policy recommendations generated by DEM-Debate will inform EU policymakers, supporting future legislation that favours community-driven, free knowledge initiatives. The identified transferable practices will offer solutions for other platforms and community-led projects, promoting a more reliable and pluralistic digital space. 

By analysing what works and what does not in Wikipedia’s fact-checking and moderation model, DEM-Debate will contribute to a more transparent and trustworthy information ecosystem in the European Union.

Explore the project’s outputs

deliverables

events

articles

Wikimedia Europe Partners for Research into Wikipedia’s Practices on Information on Elections

Stay up to date 

If you would like to receive updates on the project or want to get in contact with the team, feel free to drop us an email at office@wikimedia-europe.eu

Teaming up across sectors to drive positive change

DEM-Debate is a 18 month participatory research initiative run by Wikimedia Europe, the University of Amsterdam and Eurecat – Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya and the Wikimedia communities in Europe. It is supported by the European Media and Information Fund – EMIF managed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

DEM-Debate kicked-off in September 2024 and will run until February 2026. 

Disclaimer. The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute. https://gulbenkian.pt/emifund/disclaimer/

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