Originally designed to counter foreign interference, the European fight against disinformation has gradually expanded and become structured around an institutionalized ecosystem combining public funding, certified expertise, and partnerships with platforms. Behind this apparent consensus, one question remains largely unanswered: who are the actors responsible for this mission, and why are independent private media largely absent? For several years now, the European Union has made the fight against disinformation a central focus of its digital and democratic policies. Initially conceived as a response to foreign campaigns—particularly Russian ones—this policy has gradually expanded to cover a much broader field: the monitoring of public discourse, political fact-checking, and the internal « informational resilience » of European democracies. Behind this doctrinal evolution, however, one question remains poorly documented: who are the actors funded to combat disinformation, and according to what architecture? A pivotal mechanism: EDMO At the heart of the system is the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), an association funded to the tune of just under €4 million per year by the European Commission on the basis of a tender procedure launched in 2020. EDMO is based on national or regional hubs bringing together…
