Decoding disinformation impact frameworks and indicators: a comparative study

While research on disinformation has advanced significantly in recent years, assessing its actual impact remains a major challenge. What does “impact” really mean - online reach, real-world harm, or behavioural change?

In response to the above questions, EU DisinfoLab (a veraAI partner) has updated its Impact-Risk Index and mapped it alongside other leading frameworks, such as the Breakout Scale, ABCDE, and DISARM.

This new publication offers a comparative overview of how different methodologies define and measure disinformation impact, highlighting similarities, gaps, and areas for improvement. The goal is to promote better alignment across the research community and enhance the evidence base for evaluating both disinformation campaigns and the effectiveness of countermeasures.

An extended version of this report was produced for the veraAI project. Below, you can access it

Author: EU DisinfoLab (of this article and the report)

Editor: Jochen Spangenberg

vera.ai is co-funded by the European Commission under grant agreement ID 101070093, and the UK and Swiss authorities. This website reflects the views of the vera.ai consortium and respective contributors. The EU cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.