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Boosting the media literacy of citizens

Empowering readers against disinformation on the web

Media literacy is one of the most important skills in our increasingly digitalised world. It enables us to deal with the media responsibly and critically. Media literacy does not only mean being able to understand and distinguish between different forms of media – it is an indispensable skill for classifying conveyed information and recognising disinformation.

The GADMO partners are planning several campaigns and events to sustainably strengthen media literacy in Germany and Austria. Together we want to reach as broad a public as possible. Specially created training forms will address a wide variety of target groups – young and old, laypersons and media professionals. GADMO wants to educate citizens and journalists and use them as multipliers in the long term.

For example, citizens can take part in workshops that take place within the framework of the annual Campfire Festival in Düsseldorf, which is free of charge. The festival brings together citizens, journalists, political decision-makers and researchers to discuss the future of our society. Special online training courses will be offered for journalists.

In addition, the GADMO partners provide learning materials. These include online courses for self-study, which are primarily aimed at younger internet users. The materials include tutorials and worksheets as well as introductory videos and one-pagers on recognising disinformation for different target groups.

Offers of the GADMO partners for the public

  • Bürgerakademie (Citizens’ Academy) by CORRECTIV: The Bürgerakademie created by CORRECTIV is intended to help train the public and educate them in communication issues: To this end, the work of the classic and social media is examined and procedures for recognising disinformation are provided in order to convey journalistic knowledge and craft to interested citizens.
  • UseTheNews: The nationwide project #UseTheNews investigates the news use and competence of young people and develops new information and education offers. In a News Literacy Lab, new news offers are designed on the basis of the study results. The News Literacy Lab is accompanied by journalism experts from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg). In addition, under the title Open News Education (ONE), educational offers, teaching materials and further training for teachers are being developed to strengthen the teaching of news literacy in schools. #UseTheNews was initiated by the German Press Agency dpa and the Hamburg Ministry for Culture and Media.

Offers of the GADMO partners for journalists

  • Reporterfabrik (Reporter Factory) by CORRECTIV: The Reporterfabrik imparts journalistic knowledge and craft. Interested people can take part in workshops that train them in the use of the new digital possibilities of research, storytelling and publishing. The aim is to make the work of the classic and social media transparent and to identify attempts at disinformation.
  • Learning platform Factify by dpa and APA: On the learning platform dpa-Factify, dpa and APA teach the basics of digital verification with videos, graphics and interactive exercises. In addition, tips on browser extensions and websites are provided to make research on the net easier.
  • AFP’s digital courses (English): The AFP online learning platform, supported by the Google News Initiative, offers short, open courses to equip journalists and journalism students to work more efficiently online. The AFP Fact Check team presents tools, videos and case studies covering disinformation around elections, climate change and health, AI-generated content, advanced online verification and anticipating online attacks. Upon successful completion of each digital course, participants receive a certificate.
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