This summary presents the main findings of a Hebrew-language publication that provides civil society organizations, media professionals, and government actors in Israel with guiding principles and best practices for addressing online disinformation and strengthening civic resilience. Drawing on leading international research and practical experience from the local arena, it translates global knowledge into actionable, policy-relevant guidance tailored to Israel’s digital environment and socio-political context—marked by polarization, recurring security crises, linguistic diversity, and relatively low levels of media literacy.
This publication was developed as part of the Disinformation Resilience Israel (DRI) project, led by the Israeli Internet Association (ISOC-IL) and supported by the European Union (EU).
The first section of the study provides the conceptual framework and background for understanding the importance of media and information literacy as the primary civic line of defense against disinformation. It presents an up-to-date overview of Israeli society, characterized by high exposure to false information on social media, especially during times of crisis, and a relatively low ranking in global media literacy indices. It also highlights the concerning gap between the public’s high confidence in its ability to identify false information and the actual difficulty of doing so in practice, particularly amid the emergence of generative AI.
The second section presents an operational, evidence-based “toolbox” for building resilience to disinformation, organized chronologically according to the timing of exposure to information. This section details three complementary intervention strategies: (1) pre-exposure educational interventions and skills-building efforts, including psychological “inoculation” and media literacy skills and awareness; (2) real-time behavioral nudges aimed at slowing impulsive sharing and reinforcing accuracy-oriented social norms, such as by introducing “friction” mechanisms designed to increase users’ awareness of how they consume and disseminate content online, and (3) post-exposure interventions intended to mitigate the harmful effects of false information, including debunking and fact-checking.
The publication then contextualizes these tools to specific target audiences. The third section focuses on the education system and the potential of interactive and game-based learning tools to foster critical skills among children, adolescents, and young adults, as well as the current lack of a systematic, mandatory media literacy curriculum in Israel’s formal education system. The fourth section addresses groups in Israeli society that are particularly vulnerable to misinformation, namely, older adults and cultural and linguistic minorities, such as the Arab-speaking and Ultra-Orthodox communities. It highlights the combination of relatively lower media and information literacy, alongside structural barriers, such as language gaps, distinct media ecosystems, limited access to trusted sources, and lower levels of institutional trust.
Together, these factors increase exposure and susceptibility to misleading content and underscore the need for targeted, culturally and contextually adapted interventions, including accessible training programs and community-based outreach strategies.
The final section proposes a structured methodological framework for planning and evaluating media literacy and disinformation resilience-building initiatives. This framework includes a clear problem definition, identification of target audiences, formulation of measurable objectives, and the use of pre-/post or control-group-based assessments. It draws on international indicators and measurement tools to ensure rigor, comparability, and long-term impact and sustainability.
Overall, the publication is the first comprehensive, evidence-based roadmap in Hebrew for strengthening democratic resilience to disinformation in Israel. It frames disinformation as a cross-cutting political, social, and technological challenge that requires a holistic response balancing freedom of expression with the protection of information integrity and public trust. Drawing on international research and local experience, it acknowledges existing empirical gaps—particularly the limited long-term evaluations in Israel—while demonstrating a solid and growing evidence base for tailored interventions. The publication stresses that no single actor can address the challenge alone and calls for coordinated action across government, civil society, media, education, and digital platforms. It underscores the need for sustained investment in media literacy, targeted support for vulnerable groups, systematic evaluation, and cross-sector cooperation to ensure long-term democratic resilience.