More information
Description
Studies show that, although youth are the main users of internet and social media, they have difficulties appreciating the credibility of information shared online.At the same time, exposure to fake news, misinformation, disinformation or conspiracy theories leads to a change in perception and erroneous decisions. More than that, fake news distorts the social fabric and ethos of liberal democracies.
Another major channel for the propagation of fake news is represented by the audio-visual, which, in Romania, is currently not regulated specifically against fake news. The actions to combat fake news in Romania are few and disparate. Youth represent a vulnerable group because they are in a stage where they learn critical thinking; in school critical thinking is taught in association with didactic purposes (school achievement), but isolated from the aims and goals of real world; fakes news is rarely a topic in school activities. Youth are not interested in democratic processes and involvement/participation to such processes (electoral, for taking community decisions etc.), attitudes which are strengthened by fake news campaigns.
That`s why the project aims to create mechanisms for combating fake news through information and development of abilities for youth aged 15-30, the coagulation of the civil society and of other relevant stakeholders for combating fake news and, improvement of practices and legal framework which discourage fake news in the audio-visual.
The 3 partners – Alternative SocialeRomanian, the Journalists International Alliance Association and Iași County Center for Educational Resources and Assistance - will develop training curricula and support content (guides) for teachers, pilot activities for pre-university students (2000 students), organize 8 conferences for university students (400 youth) and create a coalition of organizations aiming to combat fake news.
Summary of project results
The project ''FAKE NEWS - FAKE REALITY: Social resilience through critical thinking'' tracked the phenomenon of misinformation and the lack of an effective response by Romanian society to this phenomenon. According to the Promoter, social resilience to the phenomenon of fake news can be combated by educating and raising awareness among young people, coagulation of stakeholder initiatives, transfer of experiences/resources to relevant actors, optimization of practices, and the legal framework. The project aimed at 12 activities (two of which were organizational development) through which it was aimed (a) creating a coalition (organization) dedicated to combating disinformation, (b) developing the capacity of at least 50 relevant stakeholders in the field of formal education and the media for increasing the capacity of young people in Romania to defend and promote human rights and for civic participation by combating fake news, and (c) increasing the level of awareness regarding the fake news phenomenon among 2400 young people, from the national level.
To meet the needs of the project, the promoter and his partners have developed within A3 a network/coalition of organizations for the promotion of critical thinking and anti-fake news - the Correct coalition - http://www.alternativesociale.ro/coalitia-corect - they have defined its mission and strategic directions, developed and approved a statute. By the end of the project, the coalition reached 14 members (one organization joined during the sustainability period of the project) - 10 NGOs and 4 international journalists. Within A4, a regional center for combating disinformation was developed for Central and Eastern Europe by hiring a coordinating editor, purchasing equipment for journalistic productions, and developing and publishing over 50 journalistic productions. Within A5, a regional network of collaborating journalists of the Center was formed - 27 people, who were trained in 3 training sessions. Within A6, resource materials were developed for the development of critical thinking and combating fake news for young people in pre-university education - a curriculum for the course "Fighting the phenomenon of fake news through the development of critical thinking", documentation approved for the accreditation of the curriculum by the Ministry of Education, the guide "Developing critical thinking to combat disinformation. Guide for teaching staff" - https://www.alternativesociale.ro/publicatii/dezvoltarea-gandirii-critice-in-vederea-combaterei-dezinformarii-ghid-pentru-cadre-didactice/. In A7, according to the promoter, 10 sessions (4 modules each) of the course "Combating the phenomenon of fake news through the development of critical thinking" were organized and supported, through the training of 223 teaching staff. Later, they carried out media education activities with over 2000 students. Within A8 - 8 conferences were organized in university centers with over 460 participants in physical format and 2043 students who watched the conferences online. Within A9 -
Advocacy for the promotion of the active fight against fake news in CNA practices and in the specific legislation - a petition was created for the sanctioning of fake news in the audio-visual environment and was submitted to the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) and a proposal for a law was submitted for the modification of the legal framework to include specific provisions regarding fake news, document submitted to the CNA. Through the organizational development activities, the following was achieved: the website of the Promoter - alternativesociale.ro - and of the partner https://www.aijr.ro/ was updated; a 2017-2021 annual report was produced; and an online promotion campaign was carried out among the general public of the promoter and the partner https://www.aijr.ro/;
The project aimed to contribute to increasing social resilience and developing a preoccupation for combating disinformation by creating competencies and skills for education and media professionals, developing a regional center for combating disinformation, coagulating the efforts of various stakeholders, information campaigns, education (activities with students, conferences in universities), amending the NAC legislation. By the end of the project, 27 journalists were trained to identify fake news and collaborate with Veridica.ro (A5); 1 curriculum for teachers accredited by the Ministry of Education and 1 guide for working with young people were created and distributed (A6), with the help of which 223 teachers were trained, who carried out activities for the development of critical thinking and identification of fake news with 2016 students. In 8 universities, 460 students were made aware of fake news (A8). 1 regional coalition to combat disinformation (CORECT Coalition) with 14 members was created. 1 campaign to combat disinformation was carried out - 696,366 people, and members of the general public were informed (84 journalistic materials published on Veridica.ro, 6 video spots, and campaign posts were broadcast on TV, radio, and online). 1 international conference brought together over 40 specialists from Romania and abroad (A9). 1 legislative proposal was submitted to the NAC (A10). Veridica.ro was reinforced with equipment and during the project, the activity of the editor-in-chief was supported by the project (A4). The website alternativesociale.ro was updated and the annual report of the AAS was carried out; Likewise, the website aijr.ro updated. The project had a positive impact on all beneficiaries who developed their level of awareness of the phenomenon and the ability to react (journalists, teachers, pupils, students, public and private institutions, professionals, and groups vulnerable to fake news).