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US lobbies allies to cut ties to anti-disinformation conference over panel critical of Washington, sources say
Reuters • • world
Key Points:
- The US State Department lobbied Canada and European allies to withdraw support from an anti-disinformation conference due to a panel examining the US as an alleged information threat to Europe.
- Canadian and Lithuanian foreign ministries, previously main supporters of the conference, distanced themselves following US diplomatic outreach, with US Ambassador to Lithuania involved in the effort.
- The European Union's External Action Service also disappeared from the list of supporters, while France remains the only main supporter of the conference.
- The controversial panel titled "USA as a FIMI threat: acknowledge, adapt, push back" aimed to discuss how the US became viewed as a foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) threat in Europe.
- The State Department criticized the labeling of the US as a disinformation threat, calling it damaging to shared goals, while Canada and Lithuania cited differences with the conference's framing as reasons for revising or canceling participation.
