Project

Tilburg - European Media and Information Fund - Search Guardian - The dynamics of LGBTQ+ misinformation across Europe: Automated large-scale web and search engine monitoring and data analysis

REport
Link

Year

2025
-
2025

Region

EU

This evaluation examines the “Search Guardian – Investigations into LGBTQ+ Disinformation Dynamics Across Europe” project, carried out by Tilburg University with support from the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF). The project ran from October 2023 to July 2024 and set out to explore how search engines contribute to the spread of misleading or harmful information about LGBTQ+ individuals in Europe. The project addressed a significant gap in current research and practice by focusing on search engines as a less-studied but highly significant and influential part of the online information system. Between March and April 2025, PIL members Dr. Nina Ždanovič and Laura Švelnytė conducted project evaluation. Based on a qualitative approach, the evaluation combined a review of project documents, analysis of monitoring data, and interviews with key stakeholders. This approach ensured a broad range of perspectives and helped to build a detailed understanding of the project’s design, implementation, achievements, and challenges. The findings not only informed strategic learning for future initiatives but also highlighted tangible impacts on key beneficiaries and helped to strengthen accountability across the program.

Sub-themes

Media Integrity

Client

Tilburg University

Partners