Venue: Biblioteca Eugenio Trías
Thursday, 4th June 2026, from 12:00 to 13:00 h. CEST (UTC+2). Venue: Biblioteca Eugenio Trías (Taller de Ideas), P.º de Fernán Núñez, 24, Planta baja, El Retiro.
Disinformation is no longer an isolated phenomenon; it has become a global challenge with far-reaching impacts on the political sphere, security, and public trust in institutions, seeking to undermine our capacity for analysis and critical thinking. The virality of hoaxes, falsehoods, and misleading content far exceeds that of the truth, which is based on scientific evidence. Ensuring the integrity of information and understanding and countering the main disinformation narratives with science and data, are now essential tasks to guarantee citizens’ resilience in the face of disinformation and strengthen the quality of democracies.
As part of the 85th Madrid Book Fair, whose theme is “Reading and Laughing: two ways to resist,” the Elcano Royal Institute will host a roundtable discussion at the Taller de las Ideas (Eugenio Trías Library) addressing the phenomenon of disinformation and its strategic impact, its systematic use by certain states, and disinformation regarding climate change and migration. The act of reading, and relying on data based on scientific evidence, is key to dismantling false narratives and resisting phenomena that seek to undermine citizens’ ability to make decisions freely and independently. There will be no shortage of references to humor (cartoons, caricatures, memes) as a tool for criticism and resilience.
Hashtag: #ElcanoFLMadrid26
Participants:
Chair:
- José Juan Ruiz, Chairman, Elcano Royal Institute | @ElcanoJjRuiz
Speakers:
- Ángel Badillo Matos, SeniorFellow, Elcano Royal Institute | @angelbadillo
- Rut Bermejo, non-resident Senior Fellow, Elcano Royal Institute
- Lara Lázaro, Senior Fellow, Elcano Royal Institute | @lazarotouza
Organized by:
– The event will be held in Spanish without simultaneous translation.
– If you would like to attend in-person, send RSVP to confirmaciones@rielcano.org.
Image: Book Releasing Letters and Words. Photo: Yagi Studio / Getty Images.
