Nine organizations from five Balkan countries have marked April 2, the International Fact-Checking Day 2020 by announcing the inception of the Anti-Disinformation Network for the Balkans (ADN-Balkans).

ADN-Balkans serves as the basis of a cooperation between civil society organizations, media outlets, educational institutions and all other relevant stakeholders with a goal of forming a wide front on countering disinformation through affirmation of the highest standards of fact-checking and all other ethical principles of professional journalism, as well as promoting media literacy and critical thinking.

The founding members have issued a Declaration that re-affirms the freedom of expression in its various forms, stressing that the situation in the Balkans which requires an added focus on countering the problem of disinformation at regional level, especially cross-border disinformation, as well as empowerment of citizens through education and putting their actual needs as priority in the work of the media.

ADN-Balkans developed gradually through bilateral and multilateral cooperation of its founding members which intensified during the last two years in response to increasing level of disinformation in the region, including but not limited to the development of informal network of correspondents implemented through the Fostering Improved Media Standards project supported by NED.