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Description
As part of this project, we are continuing and extending the activities of the previously implemented project ''I check it! - fact checking in the Podkarpackie Province''. The new edition of the project is implemented in the Podlaskie, Lubelskie and Podkarpackie Provinces. Our aim is to make residents aware of the need to verify information and to increase their skills in this area. The negative impact of disinformation on the public debate became particularly evident during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when various conspiracy theories about it became serious problem all over the world. Currently, during the war in Ukraine and the accompanying refugee crisis, regions in eastern Poland, including Podlaskie, Lubelskie and Podkarpackie Provinces, are particularly vulnerable to disinformation and the spread of fake news. Moreover, according to a Eurostat study, in Poland in 2021, only 16% of Internet users checked the credibility of information. As part of the current edition of our project, we trained 30 persons – the community leaders, who increased their knowledge of fake news and gained skills in fact-checking and meeting facilitation. They also took part in workshops on data analysis and conducting local workshops. The trained individuals are implementing a series of educational workshops for their local communities. During the training, the trainees create fact-checking articles, which are made available as publications. In addition, as part of the project, we are updating the online course created in the 1st edition of the project, based on the comments of the trained persons collected as reports from the local workshops. Our partners are the editors of the FakeNews.pl website and the Pravda Association.
Summary of project results
In the digital age, disinformation has become a common problem, affecting society''s perception of reality. In eastern regions of Poland, such as Podkarpacie, Lublin and Podlasie, we noticed the need to raise public awareness of information verification and the fight against disinformation.
The main goal of the project was to raise the level of social awareness in the field of information verification, combating disinformation and developing critical thinking skills among residents of the eastern regions of Poland. Thanks to the project, local communities in three voivodeships have become more aware of the threats related to disinformation. The educational tools created, such as the online course and knowledge base, will serve them and others for many years to come.
As part of the project, we conducted training for 30 local leaders, published a publication with them verifying public statements and local information, organized 28 local workshops, created an online course and a knowledge base on information verification, and conducted a social campaign on the Internet.
As a result of the training, leaders showed significant improvement in their ability to verify information and conduct workshops. Over 4,100 people took advantage of the online course, and the social campaign achieved over 2.3 million views, reaching 800,000 people. Cooperation with 15 local entities contributed to the promotion of local workshops.
1. Training in Lublin: as a result, 30 local leaders from Podlasie, Lublin and Podkarpacie gained knowledge about the phenomenon of disinformation, developed the skills of verifying facts, moderating discussions and conducting workshops. This allowed them to effectively convey reliable information at local workshops in their local communities. The average assessment of the level of theoretical knowledge about fake news increased from 3.23/5 to 4.53/5. The average rating of one''s ability to detect false information in the statements of public figures increased from 3.28/5 to 4.53/5. The average assessment of the level of my statistical data analysis skills increased from 3.3/5 to 4.36/5. The average assessment of the level of one''s information verification skills increased from 3.45/5 to 4.47/5.
2. Local workshops: promotion of workshops thanks to cooperation with local social organizations and other public entities and the involvement of local leaders in conducting classes led to increased local awareness of the need to verify information and be careful online. The workshops of local leaders encouraged participants to develop critical thinking skills and verify sources.
3. Publication: We have provided a publication that has verified public statements, quotes and articles from local sources. The publication is a valuable educational material.
4. Online course and knowledge base: we have created a course that offers a free opportunity to develop and test your knowledge and skills in the field of fact-checking. Over 4,100 people completed it, which significantly exceeded our expected number of 1,000 users. The fake news knowledge base associated with the course is a valuable source of information in the field of fact checking.
5. Social campaign: Promotional activities within the campaign encouraged recipients to think critically and reflect on the credibility of information, especially in the era of artificial intelligence.