City of Malmö builds resilience to counter false information

At the time of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, a 15-year-old film clip was taken out of context and re-disseminated, reinforcing an existing narrative about Malmö as an unsafe and violent city. Malmö dealt with the information influence by combining strategic communication with systematic confidence-building efforts. Mathea Jakobsson, press and crisis communicator, talks about this work.

Real events – but misleading messages at the time of the Eurovision Song Contest

At the time of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, the City of Malmö’s preparedness for managing false information was put to the test. In connection with the contest, permits had been granted for several major demonstrations in Malmö, attracting a great deal of media attention. The demonstrations were held peacefully and calmly. On social media, however, a film clip was spread that allegedly showed protesters throwing stones at the police during Israel’s performance. The clip was 15 years old, from a demonstration that took place at the Davis Cup in 2009. The apparent aim was to disseminate a recurring narrative about Malmö as an unsafe and dangerous city, and to reinforce that message by linking it to the demonstrations during the Eurovision Song Contest.

Besides the film clip, a rumour was also spread about the City of Malmö introducing a policy to censor pro-Palestinian messages during the contest. The rumour snowballed after a painting was accidentally cleaned off a graffiti wall at Folkets Park. No such policy existed, but the graffiti clean-up was used by some actors as ‘evidence’ of an unfounded claim. The incident was interpreted and amplified in a sensitive situation, which helped to create a misleading narrative about the city’s actions.

These events are clear examples of how disinformation often stems from real events, but is presented in a way intended to mislead – by exaggeration, misinterpretation or by being taken out of context. Moreover, when messages contain a grain of truth, they are more difficult to counter.

Around-the-clock external monitoring

Around the time of the Eurovision Song Contest, the City of Malmö worked around the clock on monitoring social and traditional media.

“Thanks to this, we could swiftly detect and deal with false information. Sometimes, we also discover false information in our external monitoring that we consciously choose not to highlight, as pointing out false information also means that we disseminate it. We therefore always need to make an assessment based on how serious it is,” explains Mathea.

In connection with the rumour about the removed graffiti art, the city of Malmö chose not only to correct the facts, but also to highlight and argue for the city’s core values.

“In our social media channels, we had an open dialogue with Malmö residents. We listened to their views and explained the values that the city stands on – freedom of expression, equal worth for everyone and an open society. It was important to highlight the city’s core values and show what we actually do and stand for,” says Mathea.

Trust is built over time

At the same time, she stresses that addressing false information is only part of the work. At least equally important is the fundamental trust that is built up over a long period of time. Here, municipalities, authorities, civil society and other actors need to help each other.

Training and dialogue in focus

To strengthen resilience to false information, the City of Malmö has developed targeted training initiatives. Municipal counsellors who meet residents on a daily basis through contact centres and on social media have undergone special training in managing and responding to disinformation. Also, the City has engaged dialogue social workers – employees who meet Malmö residents and hold discussions about the mission and work of the social services.

As part of its educational work, the City of Malmö also wants to equip citizens with tools enabling them to detect false information and critically evaluate information themselves. Malmo.se provides a source criticism tool with facts, examples and tips that help residents recognise and manage false or misleading information in their daily lives.

The City of Malmö’s strategic work on countering false information began as early as in 2015, when a large number of refugees arrived in the city. The situation prompted strong reactions and the city’s social media channels were flooded with expressed emotions and opinions. The discourse climate turned increasingly polarised and it became clear how personal views were often interpreted as facts, while myths and rumours quickly took hold and spread as truths.

“Since then, we’ve been working actively to counter false information with facts, while at the same time standing up for freedom of expression and equal worth in our social media dialogues,” says Mathea.

Trust is more important than the sender

According to her, it matters less to the City of Malmö who is behind false information.

“Confidence in our operations and trust in us as an authority can be equally affected, irrespective of the sender and purpose.”

In recent years, the City of Malmö has strengthened its external monitoring to better understand what is being said both in and about the city and to enable better targeted communication initiatives. The need is particularly clear in the event of unexpected or sensitive incidents, when it is crucial to reach out quickly with accurate and fact-based information. Otherwise, there is a risk of an information vacuum emerging that is filled with rumours, misinterpretations or deliberately misleading messages.

A model that can inspire others

In times when information can both unite and divide, the City of Malmö’s work shows how strategic communication, external monitoring and trust can together create a robust foundation for countering information influence. The ability to swiftly detect and manage disinformation, combined with long-term trust-building efforts, is a model that can inspire other municipalities.

“Detecting, understanding and responding to false information is crucial. One source of strength, however, is also found in equipping the people of Malmö with the tools to see through false or misleading information themselves. This is how we build resilience for real,” concludes Mathea.