Disinformation and propaganda in the terms  of the threats posed to the state security

The paper presents the role played by disinformation and propaganda in shaping state security. Common understanding of the terms is characterized by value judgment and differs from the one included in the subject matter literature. Both disinformation and propaganda are not newly implemented activities but they accompany the society from its beginning. Their usefulness during war has been proved by numerous historical examples. Development of disinformation and propaganda is connected with development of mass communication technology. Special meaning of the mentioned communication activities was confirmed during development of crisis situation in Ukraine in 2014. There are potential threats posed to Republic of Poland as a result of Polish involvement in democratization of Central and Eastern Europe. They include, inter alia, disinformation and propaganda. The way of eliminating the effects of disinformation and propaganda is understanding their mechanisms.

This article describes the issue of misinformation during the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, which WHO called ‘infodemic’. The outbreak of the pandemic has changed the constellation of the information environment, where there is a noticeable increase in fake news, conspiracy theories and the hate speech they generate. The modified architecture of digital space causes the formation of new instruments, influence factors, phenomena – previously recognized, but never before so intense. The article focuses on fake news that appeared in connection with the ongoing pandemic and which is present in Polish public discourse. The adopted perspective allowed to look at the phenomenon of false information through the prism of the theory of information laundering.

W artykule zaprezentowano formułę rosyjskiego oddziaływania propagandowego jakiemu państwo rosyjskie poddaje obywateli Białorusi. Wskazano cele i grupy docelowe tego oddziaływania, dokonano oceny ich efektywności oraz przedstawiono możliwe formy reakcji, mającej na celu przygotowanie Białorusinów do umiejętnego dostrzegania działań mających na celu dezinformację, manipulację i kształtowanie opinii publicznej zgodnie z rosyjskimi celami politycznymi.

Zarówno dezinformacja, jak i propaganda nie są działaniami nowymi, ale towarzyszą społeczeństwom praktycznie od samego ich powstania. Co więcej, ich użyteczność w działaniach państw potwierdzają nie tylko liczne przykłady historyczne, ale również te, których jesteśmy obecnie świadkami i są ściśle związane z rozprzestrzenianiem się pandemii COVID-19. Artykuł jest próbą zdefi niowania i opisania nie tylko rosyjskiego ekosystemu dezinformacji i propagandy w dobie pandemii, ale również próbą odpowiedzi na pytanie, w jaki sposób różne fi lary tego ekosystemu odgrywają różne role, wzajemnie się zasilają oraz wzmacniają.

Fake news był obecny w życiu człowieka już od czasów starożytnych. Jednakże rozwój technologii, globalizacja doprowadził do zwiększenia zasięgu jego rozprzestrzeniania. Masowość mediów doprowadziła do przeinaczeń, nadinterpretacji, szerzenia nieprawidłowości na określony temat. W ten sposób zaczęła się szerzyć dezinformacja przeprowadzana różnymi metodami. Określana jest ogólnie jako fake news. Celem artykułu jest ukazanie jak ważną rolę w współczesnym świecie pełni fake news oraz jak jest wykorzystywany w celach manipulacji. Przeinaczona informacja może wywołać niepokój w jednostce bądź grupie, a tym samym zdestabilizować bezpieczeństwo. Masowy dostęp do mediów społecznościowych i Internetu prowadzi do zwiększonej ilości różnych, błędnych, celowo zmanipulowanych informacji, co może wpływać negatywnie na nasze postrzeganie rzeczywistości, a w konsekwencji na nasze bezpieczeństwo.

The article attempts to identify information hazards to Poland in the context of hazards determining the loss of the state’s image as perceived by international opinion, indicating the metamorphosis associated with conditions characteristic for the social influence operations. The impact of tendencies in building of the national and international security, being determinants for social hazards, was emphasised. An analysis of development of information hazards, their dissemination and resonance in Poland in the period between 2016 and 2021, forms a prominent part of the article. The influence and the role of mass media in shaping of awareness were presented, revealing mechanisms for creating the public opinion.

The COVID-19 pandemic made the authorities of many countries take extraordinary steps to prevent the new disease from spreading. They were not limited to improving the operation of healthcare but also extended to a range of areas of social and political life. That resulted in restrictions to fundamental human and civil rights and freedoms. A number of doubts voiced in the public debate in this connection encourage a scientific consideration of the legal aspects of restricting the rights and freedoms in connection with the pandemic. This paper is aimed at presenting disinformation as a hazard to the right to the freedom of speech, constitutionally protected in democratic states.

This article discusses the modern concept of civic education and its history, which dates back to ancient times. Civic education is perceived as the process of educating individuals about their rights and responsibilities as members of a society and preparing them to participate in the democratic process. One of the key objectives of civic education is to promote active citizenship and engagement in the democratic process. The article highlights the interdisciplinary nature of civic education and its connection to a well-constructed educational system, as well as detects the biggest challenges for the process. The purpose of the article is to introduce the importance and development of civic education and to analyze its state in Poland, noting the changes that have taken place over the course of the 21st century. To accomplish this objective, the author decided to compare various reports on both the state of democracy and education in Poland. Furthermore, the author sought to underscore the significance of the individuals responsible for educating society, as well as the methodologies employed in civic education, which significantly influence the formal civic education of young individuals. Such ideas were also presented in the recommendations.

Students’ attitudes to the infodemic phenomenon in the perspective of improving media literacy in academic education

The article presents the results of a study that aimed to analyse students’ attitudes towards infodemic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The author adopted the interpretation of infodemic as a process of spreading an excess of untrue information, which complicates the evaluation and selection of reliable content. The research problem was the question of students’ attitudes towards false information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The research sample consisted of 37 students of pedagogy. The research was conducted in a qualitative research paradigm. The results indicated that the surveyed students had a positive and stable organisation of their own knowledge, beliefs, feelings, and such forms of behaviour and expressive reactions as are necessary when confronted with infodemic. The respondents declared that they search for content in various sources and make a critical comparison and identification of false content. Despite this, they do not have a sufficiently in-depth knowledge of how to debunk false information. They feel the need for a great deal of cognitive effort to verify content. Therefore, the author makes recommendations for the formation of critical media literacy – as a way of building social resilience to disinformation and other disorders of the information age.

Research objective – The aim of this article is to analyse the specifics of Russian information warfare. Starting from the definition of the concept of political strategy, the author tries to show that information warfare is one of the key instruments in the confrontation with Western states, and that the war in Ukraine has intensified Russia’s activities in this area, also towards Central European states. The means and tools used are an instrument for influencing the political and social processes taking place in other countries. Methodology – The study used a comparative method, collecting and analysing historical data and comparing theoretical approaches to categories such as political strategy, information warfare and hybrid warfare. Findings – The correlation analysis of Russian geopolitics and information warfare confirms that it is a dangerous weapon: a means of achieving the state’s goals in international, regional and domestic politics, as well as of ensuring its geopolitical superiority regionally and globally. Practical implications – This study aimed to organise and expand the available literature on the analysis of the specifics of Russian information warfare.

This paper aims to shed light on the propaganda tool Russia has chosen to promote its imperial desire – the reconstruction of the Soviet Union. The research takes the Putin era, from the year 2000 to the present, as a timeframe. The data in this research was primarily a library-based study using primary research resources. The study uses a systemic method by approaching the post- Cold War era as a system impacted by Russia’s policies in the decision-making sphere. The primary research question: Is propaganda a tool for rebuilding the Soviet Union? The hypothesis: Russian propaganda serves as a strategic tool for fostering sentiments of unity and potential efforts to revive the appearance of the Soviet Union. A detailed description of the following questions helps provide tremendous insight into implementing the main question: What is Russia’s propaganda strategy? How does Russia’s disinformation and propaganda strategy operate in post-Soviet countries?