Three New Research Projects for Better Verification and More Transparency
,Good news: We're deepening our commitment to fighting disinfo and fostering media literacy. Since March and April respectively, ReCo has been involved in two new projects funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, formerly BMBF), with a third set to launch in May 2026. Both DW and the wider journalism community stand to benefit from the results. The overarching motto of BMFTR funding: "Democracy needs a factual foundation."
The three projects share a common thread while pursuing distinct priorities–and operating within distinct consortia:
CleanFeed aims to develop methods, tools, and distribution channels for verifying the origin and authenticity of digital content (key concept: digital markers). This is complemented by frameworks for reflecting on transparency and journalistic quality. Core questions include: What sources were used? How were they verified? Were errors made in earlier versions of an article? Is there a particular framing at play? The project is coordinated by Fraunhofer FOKUS, with castlabs and G&L as additional partners.
PADSE takes a digital-forensic approach. The project explores algorithms and tools for analysing audio deep- and shallowfakes–that is, content either generated entirely by artificial means or manipulated using software. The goal is to develop an innovative detection system focused in part on specific speakers and their linguistic characteristics. Fraunhofer IDMT leads the project, with the University of Weimar as a third consortium partner.
Fake-O-Meter is the third project, launching in May. Here, the consortium plans to build an AI-driven assistant designed to promote awareness and resilience in the face of digital disinformation. The target audience encompasses both citizens and media professionals. The German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) coordinates the project, supported by three academic partners: the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, and the Technical University of Berlin.
Prototypes and Tools Built on Proven Foundations
All three BMFTR projects build on prior work by DW ReCo. Verification, disinformation defence, and media and information literacy (MIL) have been core areas of focus for our team for many years.
Initial prototypes, pilots and concepts are expected from early 2027, with final outputs to follow two years later.
Who Benefits?
In addition to DW Fact Check and DW Investigations, all language departments, as well as Audience Development and Distribution, will ultimately benefit from the new tools and insights. The results will also be made available to the teams at DW Academy.
After in-house testing, the project output will be shared with partners at ARD, EBU and other media organizations, thus contributing to the fight against disinformation and for better verification and media standards across Germany and Europe.
More Info
To stay in the loop re: CleanFeed, PADSE and Fake-O-Meter, follow this blog and our channels on LinkedIn and Mastodon.
An overview of all current BMFTR projects can be found here
As always, we're happy to answer questions, share ideas, and discuss cooperations. Just drop us a line.
