Eurovision News Spotlight
Eurovision News Spotlight (often referred to simply as Spotlight) is a collaborative network for fact-checking and open-source intelligence (OSINT) established by Eurovision News in partnership with its Member organizations within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Its primary mission is to support public service media (PSM) across Europe in their efforts to combat the spread of online falsehoods, misinformation, and disinformation.[1][2] Launched in April 2025, the initiative effectively merged with the existing Alliance for Facts project and has gained attention for its cross-border investigations, including its reports on influence campaigns targeting the Eurovision Song Contest and the digital narrative surrounding Gaza.[3][4]
| Type | Collaborative Network, Fact-Checking, OSINT |
|---|---|
| Parent Organization | European Broadcasting Union (EBU) |
| Auspices | Eurovision News |
| Established | April 2025 |
| Purpose | To counter online falsehoods and misinformation for PSM |
| Membership | EBU Members and partners (currently 29+ members/partners) |
| Official Website | spotlight.ebu.ch |
| Key Activities | Cross-border fact-checking, OSINT investigations, resource-sharing, training, and public awareness initiatives |
History
Eurovision News Spotlight was officially launched by the European Broadcasting Union in April 2025. The initiative was created in response to the growing crisis of inaccurate and synthetic information in the digital media landscape, aiming to reinforce public service media's role as the most trusted source of news in Europe.[3][5]
At its launch, the network effectively merged with the existing Alliance for Facts project, a collaborative initiative previously coordinated by French public media organizations, including Radio France, France Télévisions, France Médias Monde, TV5MONDE, and INA.
The network began with the participation of 18 EBU Members and partners and has since grown to include over 29 organizations, working together to create a "powerful collective defence against misinformation."[6]
Investigations
Eurovision Song Contest 2025
Spotlight published an investigation on 19 May 2025 which found evidence that the Israel Government Advertising Agency had conducted a cross-platform advertising campaign and utilised official state social media accounts to encourage public support for Israel's entry in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, specifically providing instructions on how voters could cast all 20 of their allowed votes for Israel.[7] The advertisements received more than over 68 million total impressions.[8] The Israeli government had previously admitted to deploying the same strategy during the 2024 contest.[8][7]
Digital Hasbara and the Gaza Narrative
On September 12, 2025, an investigation by Spotlight revealed that Israel's Israeli Government Advertising Agency (Lapam) utilized a sophisticated, centrally-funded propaganda strategy (hasbara) to influence the global narrative on Gaza.[4][9][10][11][12][13] Based on procurement documents and transparency data, the report found that Lapam paid Google and Meta to run advertisements promoting debunked narratives—such as paid-for ads showing bustling Gaza markets to counter reports of famine—and actively discrediting critics, including the UNRWA and UN Special Rapporteur. The investigation showed a massive escalation in spending: Lapam sponsored over 4,000 advertisements targeting international audiences between January and September 2025, more than doubling its output from the previous year.
Reception and Impact
Following its investigation into the **Eurovision Song Contest 2025**, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that it would review its rules on the "promotion of acts" to ensure audience voting would not be "disproportionally affected" by state-sponsored campaigns.[7]
The September 2025 investigation into **Digital Hasbara and the Gaza Narrative** received widespread media coverage, including dedicated reports from participating member organizations like BR24, ORF, Deutsche Welle, VRT NWS, and RTVE. The report documented a massive escalation in the spending and complexity of the Israeli government's advertising campaigns targeted at international audiences.[4]
Participating Members
The Eurovision News Spotlight network includes Eurovision News and the following public broadcasters and partner organizations that contribute to the collective fact-checking and OSINT efforts:
| Country | Organizations |
|---|---|
| Austria | ORF |
| Belgium | RTBF, VRT |
| Canada | CBC / Radio-Canada |
| Croatia | HRT |
| Czech Republic | Česká televize |
| Finland | Yle |
| France | France Télévisions, Radio France, RFI, France 24, Monte Carlo Doualiya |
| Multi-National | TV5MONDE (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, Canada) |
| Germany | DW, ZDF, BR, WDR |
| Ireland | RTÉ |
| Lithuania | LRT |
| Spain | RTVE, 3CAT |
| Sweden | Sveriges Radio, SVT |
| Switzerland | SRF, RTS, RSI, Swissinfo |
| United Kingdom | BBC |
External links
References
- ↑ "EBU launches Spotlight fact-checking network to combat misinformation and support trusted news". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "EBU launches Spotlight fact-checking network". Advanced Television. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "L'UER lance un réseau de fact-checking: la RTBF et 16 médias publics s'associent pour contrer la désinformation en ligne". RTBF (in français). 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Flannery, Maria (12 September 2025). "The new front of war: Inside Israel's digital 'hasbara' offensive". Eurovision News Spotlight. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "RTVE se suma a la alianza europea de verificación 'Spotlight'". RTVE (in español). 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "About - Eurovision News Spotlight". spotlight.ebu.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Pepper, Diarmuid (23 May 2025). "Eurovision to review 'promotion' of acts to ensure audience voting is not 'disproportionally affected'". The Journal. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Pedra, Jordi (20 May 2025). "EBU fact-checking network investigates Eurovision 2025 voting drive sponsored by an Israeli government agency". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "How Israel's government deliberately sows doubts about famine in Gaza". BR24 (in Deutsch). Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR24). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "Israel downplays the emergency in Gaza". ORF (in Deutsch). Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "Israel spends vast sums on propaganda ads". Deutsche Welle. Deutsche Welle (DW). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "Israel pays millions to Google for YouTube ads denying famine in Gaza". VRT NWS. Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ↑ "Israel pays for a multi-million dollar Google ad campaign to deny the famine in Gaza". RTVE (in español). Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
This article "Eurovision News Spotlight" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Eurovision News Spotlight. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
