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Deutsche Welle and France Médias Monde expand cooperation

The Director General of DW, together with the Chair and CEO of France’s international broadcaster, presented a new joint project at the biannual meeting of the Franco-German Cultural Council in Berlin.

Deutschland Berlin | Sitzung des Deutsch-Französischen Kulturrats mit Barbara Massing & Marie-Christine Saragosse
Image: Ronka Oberhammer/DW Images

As part of their cooperation that has been intensified since late last year, the partners aim to provide independent information in Eastern Europe to counter disinformation from Russia with fact-based reporting. The goal of this European media alliance against disinformation is to build an Information Shield with a focus on Eastern Europe. 

DW Director General Barbara Massing: “The elections in Hungary and the Republic of Moldova have clearly shown how extensively disinformation is being used to influence democratic processes. Anyone seeking to defend democracy in these turbulent times must ensure free access to information and facts through independent media. Together with our French partner broadcaster, we therefore aim to redouble efforts at the European level to counter disinformation." 

Marie-Christine Saragosse, Chair and CEO of France Médias Monde (FMM): "We are living through a ‘hybrid’ war, with the information war playing a major role. This hybrid war poses a direct threat to democracies. In this context, our international public media serve as tools of democratic resistance and resilience. It is in this spirit that we are working with Deutsche Welle on the ‘Information Shield’, which aims to improve the coordination and the reinforcement of our activities, particularly in Europe and its peripheries." 

Deutschland Berlin | Sitzung des Deutsch-Französischen Kulturrats mit Barbara Massing & Marie-Christine Saragosse
Barbara Massing (7th from the left) and Marie-Christine Saragosse (5th from the right) at the Franco-German Cultural Council in Berlin Image: Ronka Oberhammer/DW Images

Massing and Saragosse presented the initiative on Monday morning during the 71st session of the  Franco-German Cultural Council, which serves as a platform for Franco-German cultural projects. The event also features a joint visit to digital conference re:publica and a panel discussion at the French Embassy in Berlin on the Franco-German media alliance against disinformation. 

A pilot project was already launched in the summer of 2025 with a joint information campaign ahead of the elections in the Republic of Moldova. In December 2025, Massing and Saragosse signed a Memorandum of Understanding to institutionalize, consolidate and deepen their cooperation. As an initial step, a co-working office for both broadcasters was established at the RFI Romania bureau in Bucharest. The collaboration within the newly presented Information Shield marks a further milestone in this strategic partnership.