In the last few years, a huge amount of scholarship has emerged on disinformation and related topics, such as toxicity, polarization, populist rhetoric, and election interference. Researchers in disciplines from anthropology to psychology are working on disinformation-related questions, often with different taxonomies. This volume makes it hard for researchers to stay abreast of other disciplines. Seemingly contradictory findings present challenges for journalists, citizens, and policymakers seeking clear answers.  

MediaWell, the Social Science Research Council’s new web platform, is a response to this volume and spread – our aim was to create a one-stop platform that is freely accessible for researchers, policymakers, journalists, funders, and interested citizens alike. We’re excited to make the project available, and eager for feedback on this new format for curating research and promoting public scholarship.

The 2nd-4th September 2019 marked the third in a series of symposia on Societal Challenges in Computational Social Science (Euro CSS). Computer scientists, political scientists, sociologists, physicists, mathematicians and psychologists from 24 countries gathered in Zurich for a day of workshops and tutorials followed by a two-day one track conference.