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Description
We live an era of massive news and information production, deriving from official or not agencies as we as individuals. Despite the fact that there are several recommendations for information cross-check, it remains extremely difficult, for individuals, to analyse news and information. In this context, this programme has two main pillars, a. to educate people on the way they can check the validity of news and b. to develop an online platform which will present the methods of analysis in order to recognize potential fake news, and at the same time recording arguments using the crowdsourcing method in order to argue about fake news. For this scope, material will be produced to support young people about fake news, and there will be 12 2-hour online workshops having 30 participants each, in order to present fake news identification. At the same time, an online platform will be created in which everyone can record their arguments about the validity or not of information exchanged on the internet. The target groups at this stage are primarily young people who have frequent contact with data on the internet, namely students aged 14-18 years in the area of Kalamata and generally Messinia, and secondary parents who will be able to learn useful information which can in future be transferred as knowledge to their children. The number of people who will be trained online is 360 people (12 workshops X 30 people), while through the website and its advertising a considerably greater number of recipients are expected. Ideally, we would like in depth of 6 months of the project, to have visited and received material from the website or have participated in the crowdsourcing procedures 500 people (additionally to the 360).
Summary of project results
The training program in detecting fake news aimed to reach the audience of the educational community of the wider region of Messinia and specifically students, teachers and parents & guardians in order to inform through a two-hour workshop on how we can detect fake news.
During the initial phase of the project, a website with educational material was created and subsequently enriched, named http://fakenewshunter.gr/. The aim was to devote the summer months of July and August to the training of teachers, who will be the beneficiaries of the project. During the same period, educational material for pupils and parents was developed and emphasis was placed on communication activities to disseminate the project. Through 5 online meetings with teachers, the first 28 teachers were trained on the issue of fake news and the first teachers were asked to contribute to the implementation of the project. In early September the process of engaging the main target audience, namely students and parents & guardians, began. Online registration forms were created for the online seminars and letters were sent to the above recipients. In addition, the recipients were also the parent and guardian associations of Messinia. In an effort to broaden the recipients, advertising was carried out through the Facebook platform, while at the same time advertising was carried out in 3 selected media according to the impact and contact with the target audience. Upon completion of the development of the educational material, it included a. texts related to the topic, posted on the project website (fakenewshunter.gr), b. 6 videos of 30 seconds each, c. 3 different presentations for each recipient and d. 18 online quizzes for participants to test their knowledge in detecting fake news. The videos created were posted on a YouTube channel created to advertise the project and on Facebook on selected dates to generate the best possible response.The program concluded with an open call in an online workshop to anyone who wished to participate (open to the wider public) with a presentation specifically designed to appeal to any audience.
During the on-site trainings in schools, a total of 377 students and 56 teachers were trained. During the 8 online workshops, 65 people participated in the 5 workshops for teachers and 24 people participated in the remaining workshops for parents. Therefore, the total number of people trained through the onsite and online workshops was 522. Similarly, there were actions that worked alongside the workshops in order to educate the public in general. These were: (a) creation of a website related to the project which was enriched with material, in particular with instructions regarding the project, information on safe use of the Internet and the detection of fake news, quizzes for students (but also for everyone) to educate themselves on the issue of fake news, (b) material for teachers relating to the 3 presentations made in the framework of the project as well as material related to texts related to the detection of fake news by category. At the same time, short videos (6) were created and posted on a channel created on youtube in order to be used both in the workshops and on the website. The channel is located at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkzxKOGL-HpWp0CcLRrIZAw. The total number of views on the videos on the youtube channel is: 224 (until 30/11/2021).In addition, targeted posts were made with the videos on the Sporos'' Facebook page which had a total of: 654 views (150 minutes of viewing). Overall, the organisation''s experience of the project showed that the combination of online and onsite delivery of the project helped to achieve the best possible results, while both teachers and students who participated in the programme, in addition to the great interest in the topic, asked for the project to continue with additional elements during the school year. And the journalists with whom the issue was discussed (and who are also concerned) asked that the project activities should continue every year and not stop after this year''s edition.