Session
Organizer 1: Emma Gruden, Forum on Information and Democracy
Speaker 1: Grenier Camille, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Katharina Zuegel, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Jeanette Hofmann, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Katharina Zuegel, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Jeanette Hofmann, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Moderator
Katharina Zuegel, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Online Moderator
Emma Gruden, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Rapporteur
Emma Gruden, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Classroom
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Our session is structured into three main components which are fitted for the room layout and duration (20 min each). 1. Introduction on evidence-based policy-making with insights from the PID - an intergovernmental agreement to defend democracy in the digital age - How can the results of a global research assessment on information ecosystems help inform the multilateral digital policy agenda? 2. Jeanette Hofmann, Research Director at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) and Gyan Tripathi, OID rapporteur on Data Governance - Presentation of the OID first research cycle synthesis methods and high level results with a focus on Resistance strategies to Datafication - Presentation of the OID resources available on the website - Examples of cutting edge data analysis used for researching information ecosystems in different contexts 3. Giovanni Maggi, Data analyst at the OID: - Hands-on tutorial on research synthesis methods - Discussion with the audience
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Our session is structured into three main components which are fitted for the room layout and duration (20 min each). 1. Introduction on evidence-based policy-making with insights from the PID - an intergovernmental agreement to defend democracy in the digital age - How can the results of a global research assessment on information ecosystems help inform the multilateral digital policy agenda? 2. Jeanette Hofmann, Research Director at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) and Gyan Tripathi, OID rapporteur on Data Governance - Presentation of the OID first research cycle synthesis methods and high level results with a focus on Resistance strategies to Datafication - Presentation of the OID resources available on the website - Examples of cutting edge data analysis used for researching information ecosystems in different contexts 3. Giovanni Maggi, Data analyst at the OID: - Hands-on tutorial on research synthesis methods - Discussion with the audience
Policy Question(s)
How can advanced data analysis and visualization methodologies help inform more evidence-based and future-proofed policies?
How can they become more mainstream? How can policies support their broader adoption and open source access across regions and disciplines?
How can global and civil-society-led initiatives - leveraging cutting-edge data analysis methods - help bridge the evidence-gathering gaps between Research, Advocacy and Policy work in different regions and contexts?
What will participants gain from attending this session? The session aims to disseminate and discuss methodologies and processes for research synthesis around information ecosystems – focusing on how to strengthen the link between research and policy to the benefit of evidence-based policy-making.
Key takeaways for participants include:
1. Understanding, discussing, and taking part in shaping the future of a global civil society and academia-led effort to develop and govern a research to policy interface on information ecosystems.
2. Learning, training, and testing advanced methodologies for research synthesis, assessment and visualization including :
- LLM based pipelines
- Data extraction
- Data visualization
- Network analysis
- Citation analysis
SDGs
Description:
The Observatory on Information and Democracy (OID), a research-to-policy interface inspired by the IPCC, synthesizes global evidence to understand information ecosystems. In January 2025, it published its first global assessment report, drawing on over 1,664 sources and consulting with 400+ academics. Focusing on AI-driven disinformation, news media dynamics, and data governance, the report identifies scientific consensus and knowledge gaps regarding the link between information ecosystems and democracy. This session showcases meta-analysis methodologies and provides open-access tools and datasets to empower researchers, civil society, and policymakers in their research-to-policy work. Participants will learn about the OID's innovative methodologies, including using Large Language Models (LLMs) to synthesize diverse academic landscapes. The session will present research findings on topics like Big Tech power, datafication, disinformation, media trust, journalism sustainability, and AI bias. The session will begin with an overview of the OID's available resources and tools, followed by a hands-on tutorial using Jupyter Notebook to replicate OID's research synthesis work. The concluding portion will focus on discussing future directions for the OID, soliciting feedback to improve synthesis methodologies for the benefit of the research and policy community. This interactive session will foster a global discussion among policy experts, researchers, and civil society representatives to collaboratively shape the methods, network, and governance of research synthesis, ultimately contributing to evidence-based policymaking.
The Observatory on Information and Democracy (OID), a research-to-policy interface inspired by the IPCC, synthesizes global evidence to understand information ecosystems. In January 2025, it published its first global assessment report, drawing on over 1,664 sources and consulting with 400+ academics. Focusing on AI-driven disinformation, news media dynamics, and data governance, the report identifies scientific consensus and knowledge gaps regarding the link between information ecosystems and democracy. This session showcases meta-analysis methodologies and provides open-access tools and datasets to empower researchers, civil society, and policymakers in their research-to-policy work. Participants will learn about the OID's innovative methodologies, including using Large Language Models (LLMs) to synthesize diverse academic landscapes. The session will present research findings on topics like Big Tech power, datafication, disinformation, media trust, journalism sustainability, and AI bias. The session will begin with an overview of the OID's available resources and tools, followed by a hands-on tutorial using Jupyter Notebook to replicate OID's research synthesis work. The concluding portion will focus on discussing future directions for the OID, soliciting feedback to improve synthesis methodologies for the benefit of the research and policy community. This interactive session will foster a global discussion among policy experts, researchers, and civil society representatives to collaboratively shape the methods, network, and governance of research synthesis, ultimately contributing to evidence-based policymaking.
Expected Outcomes
Expected outcomes for this session entail the creation and drafting of a roadmap for the future of the Observatory on Information and Democracy (OID) in the form of the publication of conference proceedings. This includes but is not limited to:
- Possibilities on future research priorities for meta-analyses;
- Reflections on the role of the OID in the international environment;
- Reflections on the stakeholders engagement and research dissemination;
- Discussion and feedback on the OID state-of-the-art methodologies and governance structure.
Along with it, all tutorial materials used during the workshop will also be made public as open source software for people to individually implement and use the OID methodologies in their own work.
Hybrid Format: A visual presentation will be shared on the screen onsite as well as with online participants via video-conference. It will feature a clear agenda, the name of the participants and key information about the initiative and the topic being discussed. A Q&A session will be organised allowing online participants to send questions. Selected questions will be shared orally and in writing and addressed by the speakers. One person from our team will be dedicated to moderate online/offline interactions of this session with support and in coordination with the IGF moderator and IT team.
We will make sure that online participants can participate by submitting questions for onsite speakers and organisers to address. We will also allow questions from onsite participants, making sure the split is relatively balanced. If logistics allow, we will also share a poll with both online and offline participants.