The EU, Canada and Lithuania walk away from a Vilnius disinformation conference
The EU's diplomatic service, Canada and host nation Lithuania have all pulled their support from a disinformation event in Vilnius, Deutsche Welle reports. The EU's stated reason: it was "uncomfortable with the framing" of some panels, amid reports of US pressure.
A gathering devoted to fighting disinformation, abandoned by three of the governments most invested in that fight, is an awkward look. And the stated objection is to how the conversations were set up rather than to anyone's facts — a different kind of argument than these conferences are built to have.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
"Uncomfortable with the framing of some panels" is a precise sort of complaint: it goes to how the discussion is arranged, not to the accuracy of anything said in it.
The talk of US pressure is reported rather than established. On the record, the EU's reason is the framing — and either way the event lost its EU, Canadian and Lithuanian backing.