"The proliferation of political mis/disinformation on social media has led many scholars to embrace “inoculation” techniques, where individuals are trained to identify the signs of low-veracity information prior to exposure. Coordinated information operations frequently spread mis/disinformation
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through inauthentic or “troll” accounts that appear to be trustworthy members to the targeted polity, as in Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 US presidential election. We experimentally tested the efficacy of inoculation against inauthentic online actors, using the Spot the Troll Quiz, a free, online educational tool that teaches how to spot markers of inauthenticity. Inoculation works in this setting. Across an online US nationally representative sample (N = 2,847), which also oversampled older adults, we find that taking the Spot the Troll Quiz (vs. playing a simple game) significantly increases participants’ accuracy in identifying trolls among a set of Twitter accounts that are novel to participants. This inoculation also reduces participants’ self-efficacy in identifying inauthentic accounts and reduced the perceived reliability of fake news headlines, although it had no effect on affective polarization. And while accuracy in the novel troll-spotting task is negatively associated with age and Republican party identification, the Quiz is equally effective on older adults and Republicans as it was on younger adults and Democrats." (Abstract)
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"From September 2020 to January 2021, 253 trainers delivered the FactShala training program to 23,347 adults in communities across India. The FactShala media literacy training program launched by Internews […], is an effective mechanism for spreading media and information literacy and building res
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ilience to misinformation within communities experiencing exponential growth in access to and use of the internet. Internews commissioned the Centre for Media Studies to conduct a comprehensive impact evaluation of the FactShala training in July and August 2021. This report outlines the findings of that study. The key objectives of this study are to: 1. Assess how far FactShala improved trainees' awareness of and ability to identify online misinformation and disinformation; 2. Determine how far FactShala motivated trainees to share this knowledge with others; 3. Capture best practices in curbing misinformation and disinformation at the individual, organizational or community level; 4. Provide insights to help design or improve future training modules, curricula and capacity-building sessions." (Executive Summary, page 11-12)
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"[...] le "Guide" est une modeste contribution pour lutter contre les fausses informations. Qu'est-ce qu'une fake news? Que cache une manipulation de l'information ? Comment la détecter et avec quels outils ? Ce sont -là quelques-unes des questions auxquelles répond ce guide, qui invite le lecteu
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r à un voyage dans la chaîne de fabrication des fausses nouvelles et rappelle le cadre légal adopté par le Maroc pour lutter contre les fake news. Si le fact-checking n'est pas le remède miracle contre les fausses informations, les rumeurs, les manipulations et autres théories du complot, il demeure la méthode la plus efficace pour s'assurer de la véracité d'une information lorsqu'elle devient virale. Dans ce sens, ce guide propose des check-lists pour apprendre à déconstruire une fake news. Un petit dictionnaire de la désinformation est également proposé pour mieux appréhender cet univers du faux. Ce guide est enfin une participation pour mieux outiller le citoyen connecté ou pas à débusquer la fausse information, à détecter le vrai du faux et à adopter les gestes barrières devant une fake news." (Introduction, page 7)
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"This document is a first introduction for educators, working in and outside of formal schooling, on how to identify, prevent and address conspiracy theories in education settings. It seeks to provide educators with key definitions and essential knowledge to grasp the complexity of the phenomenon an
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d alert learners about the key characteristics and harmful effects of conspiracy theories for a first, immediate response. To support educators in this endeavour, this document outlines strategies to prevent the belief in conspiracy theories as well as to engage with learners who already believe in them." (Back cover)
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"This paper will discuss the challenges and opportunities of addressing both online and offline hate speech through education and recommend comprehensive approaches for effective educational strategies. Incorporating context-based teaching and learning practices that promote responsible global citiz
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enship are important first steps that must be accompanied by a whole school- and community-based approach to creating civic spaces that embrace different perspectives and opinions, respect difference and work towards a shared sense of belonging." (Introduction, page 3)
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"En este documento presentamos una secuencia didáctica para que las y los docentes trabajen en el aula sobre las desinformaciones en contextos electorales teniendo en cuenta que las y los adolescentes son parte fundamental de los debates públicos e incluso en varios países pueden ejercer el derec
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ho al voto. Si bien es de esperar que los contenidos específicos de las desinformaciones puedan variar a lo largo del tiempo y de país en país (y en niveles subnacionales), hay algunos elementos del fenómeno que son comunes en toda la región y en todos los períodos electorales. Proponemos abordar estos elementos en las aulas como una estrategia para mitigar la masiva circulación de estos contenidos y propiciar que jóvenes tomen decisiones informadas, un desafío que, por supuesto, tenemos también las personas adultas. En el Programa de Educación de Chequeado sabemos que la escuela en general y los docentes en particular pueden promover espacios de participación que fomenten la construcción de habilidades de pensamiento crítico para que, al momento de votar, las y los jóvenes lo hagan a partir de información verificada. Entendemos que enseñar en la escuela estas habilidades, especialmente aquellas vinculadas con la identificación de desinformación, como parte de la Alfabetización Mediática e Informacional (AMI) es prioritario para el fortalecimiento del sistema democrático." (Introducción)
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"A wealth of interventions have been devised to reduce belief in fake news or the tendency to share such news. By contrast, interventions aimed at increasing trust in reliable news sources have received less attention. In this article, we show that, given the very limited prevalence of misinformatio
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n (including fake news), interventions aimed at reducing acceptance or spread of such news are bound to have very small effects on the overall quality of the information environment, especially compared to interventions aimed at increasing trust in reliable news sources. To make this argument, we simulate the effect that such interventions have on a global information score, which increases when people accept reliable information and decreases when people accept misinformation." (Abstract)
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"This study investigated the effect of media and information literacy (MIL) on the ability to identify fake news, disinformation and misinformation, and sharing intentions. The experimental approach was selected to study both the control group and experimental group made up of a total of 187 respond
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ents. Comparative analysis of the two groups revealed that although more respondents in the experimental group were able to identify the inauthenticity of information presented to them, some of the respondents in the control group were also able to do the same, even though they did not receive MIL training. Conversely, some respondents in the experimental group, even though they were trained in MIL, could not determine the inauthenticity of information, possibly because the one-off training given to them did not allow them to assimilate all the information in one sitting. Nonetheless, the results of the bivariate correlation computation showed that MIL trained respondents were more likely to determine authenticity or otherwise of information and less likely to share inaccurate stories. This means that when MIL increases, sharing of fake news decreases. This is yet another evidence that MIL enables information consumers to make informed judgments about quality information. It is recommended that MIL is incorporated into mainstream educational modules and consistently revised to reflect the demands of the times. MIL programs must also consider how to effectively reach those without formal education. Actors within the information, communications, and media ecology must contribute to their quota in making information consumers more discerning with the right MIL sensitisation." (Abstract)
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"In recent years, numerous psychological interventions have been developed to reduce susceptibility to misinformation. Inoculation theory has become an increasingly common framework for reducing susceptibility to both individual examples of misinformation (issue-based inoculation) and to the techniq
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ues and strategies that are commonly used to mislead or misinform people (technique-based inoculation). In this study, we address two open questions related to technique-based inoculation in two separate experiments (total n = 2188; convenience sample recruited via the Bad News online game platform): (i) Can technique-based inoculation effectively reduce susceptibility to real-world misinformation that went viral on social media? And (ii) can technique-based inoculation confer cross-protection against misinformation that does not make use of any of the techniques against which people were inoculated? We find that playing a 15 min game confers psychological resistance against real-world misinformation that makes use of manipulation techniques against which people were inoculated (Cohen’s d = 0.37, Cohen’s U3 = 64.4%, p <0.001), and that cross-protection is achieved but at a reduced effect size (d = 0.10, U3 = 54.0%, p = 0.001)." (Abstract)
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"This paper has four parts. First, it outlines current research and definitions relating to false and misleading digital content and looks at children's behaviour in the digital environment. Second, the concepts of media literacy, digital literacy and other relevant competencies are discussed. Third
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, research on children’s experiences of false and misleading digital content and their perceived levels of digital media literacy is analysed. Finally, policies and practices which deliver media literacy are discussed. Research limitations and other barriers, such as teacher training, are described." (Abstract, page 4)
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"Este currículum sigue y actualiza la estela del Currículum para profesores sobre alfabetización mediática e informacional de la Unesco (2011). Se trata de un compendio centrado en el profesorado y concretado para la integración en el sistema formal, llegando finalmente estas enseñanzas, de un
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a manera contextualizada, a los jóvenes. Esta publicación se divide en dos partes. En la primera se conceptualiza la competencia mediática y se establecen los fundamentos del currículum, mientras que en la segunda se especifican los distintos módulos sobre la competencia mediática. Este proyecto curricular ha sido producto de la colaboración y el diálogo entre investigadores de distintos países de Europa e Iberoamérica integrados en la Red Alfamed (www.redalfamed.org). Se ha realizado desde un enfoque integral y de manera sistemática. El proceso ha incluido la concreción de las líneas principales de estudio, el establecimiento de los módulos y sus unidades, la preparación de borradores, la revisión y la validación por expertos en diferentes áreas de la competencia mediática: informacional, medios de comunicación, tecnología y educación. Currículum Alfamed de formación de profesores en educación mediática Se trata, en consecuencia, de un trabajo riguroso que pretende unificar los contenidos necesarios para la adquisición de la competencia mediática por parte de los docentes que, a su vez, pueda ser trasmitida a los estudiantes para conseguir una sociedad capacitada en el uso de los medios." (Prólogo, página 9-10)
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"The volume first examines the teaching of media literacy in state-run schools in seven Sub-Saharan African countries as of mid-2020, as relates to misinformation. It explains the limited elements of broad media and information literacy (MIL) included in the curricula in the seven countries studied
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and the elements of media literacy related specifically to misinformation taught in one province of South Africa since January 2020. The authors propose a theory of ‘misinformation literacy’ – six fields of specific knowledge and skills required to reduce students’ susceptibility to false and misleading claims. Identifying obstacles to the introduction and effective teaching of misinformation literacy, the authors make five recommendations for the promotion of misinformation literacy in schools, to reduce the harm misinformation causes. The second report in the volume examines changes made to laws and regulations related to ‘false information’ in eleven countries across Sub-Saharan Africa 2016-2020 from Ethiopia to South Africa. By examining the terms of such laws against what is known of misinformation types, drivers and effects, it assesses the effects of punitive policies and those of more positive approaches that provide accountability in political debate by promoting access to accurate information and corrective speech. In contrast to the effects described for most recent regulations relating to misinformation, the report identifies ways in which legal and regulatory frameworks can be used to promote a healthier information environment." (Back cover)
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"Con la vista fija en una mejor calidad en la percepción misma de la información, así como en el desarrollo de competencias ciudadanas para disminuir la vulnerabilidad a la manipulación y contrarrestar el secuestro mismo de la libertad de consciencia, surge el Observatorio Venezolano de Fake New
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s, en julio de 2019. Este proyecto de Medianálisis ha defendido el conocimiento como vía para intentar frenar la desinformación y generar un salto cualitativo en nuestra comunicación para la democracia. En esta obra, se compila una selección de trabajos en profundidad desarrollados en un lapso de dos años, difundidos en nuestro sitio web, fakenews.cotejo.info. Contiene reflexiones, análisis y estudios sobre el fenómeno de los contenidos falseados, convirtiéndose en el primero del país que compila ideas sobre esta materia, desarrolladas por expertos venezolanos de diversas disciplinas, entre estas Comunicación Social, Sociología, Psicología Social y Derecho. Hemos querido poner en un solo ejemplar una aproximación colectiva que aborda la conceptualización del problema, sus efectos perniciosos en la conformación de opinión pública y en la democracia, las explicaciones sobre su viralización, los comportamientos societales que le dan forma, las implicaciones sobre la credibilidad de los medios de comunicación, el proceso de confusión que pretenden los laboratorios de propaganda política, entre otras aristas." (Introducción, página 7-8)
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"This book, part of the BEA Electronic Media Research Series, brings together top scholars researching media literacy and lays out the current state of the field in areas such as propaganda, news, participatory culture, representation, education, social/environmental justice, and civic engagement. T
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he field of media literacy continues to undergo changes and challenges as audiences are reconceptualized and reconfigured, media industries are transformed and replaced, and the production of media texts is available to anyone with a smartphone. The book provides an overview of these. It offers readers specific examples and recommendations to help others as they develop their own teaching and research agendas." (Publisher description)
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"We present Harmony Square, a short, free-to-play online game in which players learn how political misinformation is produced and spread. We find that the game confers psychological resistance against manipulation techniques commonly used in political misinformation: players from around the world fi
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nd social media content making use of these techniques significantly less reliable after playing, are more confident in their ability to spot such content, and less likely to report sharing it with others in their network." (Abstract)
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"Using data from preregistered survey experiments conducted around recent elections in the United States and India, we assess the effectiveness of an intervention modeled closely on the world’s largest media literacy campaign, which provided “tips” on how to spot false news to people in 14 cou
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ntries. Our results indicate that exposure to this intervention reduced the perceived accuracy of both mainstream and false news headlines, but effects on the latter were significantly larger. As a result, the intervention improved discernment between mainstream and false news headlines among both a nationally representative sample in the United States (by 26.5%) and a highly educated online sample in India (by 17.5%). This increase in discernment remained measurable several weeks later in the United States (but not in India). However, we find no effects among a representative sample of respondents in a largely rural area of northern India, where rates of social media use are far lower." (Abstract)
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"Jugendliche informieren sich heute primär digital. Umso wichtiger ist es, dass sie bei der Nutzung von digitalen Medien in der Lage sind, Nachrichten und Informationsquellen richtig einzuordnen und wahre von falschen Meldungen zu unterscheiden. Dieses Buch gibt kompetent Auskunft zum Thema. Google
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, YouTube und andere Suchmaschinen und Soziale Netzwerke gehören heute ganz selbstverständlich zu unserem Alltag. Man kann sich rund um die Uhr informieren, sich mit seinen Freunden austauschen und eigene Fotos, Erlebnisse und Ideen posten. Bei der Informationsrecherche im Netz sind seriöse Angebote aber oft schwer zu unterscheiden von Werbung, manipulierten oder falschen Beiträgen. Quelle und Herkunft sind oft nicht ausfindig zu machen. Um sich nicht in den Filterblasen von Suchmaschinen und sozialen Netzwerken zu verlieren und nicht auf Fake News, gefakte Profile oder andere Manipulationen hereinzufallen, ist es wichtig, verschiedene Informationsquellen zu nutzen und sich eine eigene, unabhängige Meinung zu bilden. Dieses Buch gibt einen umfassenden Einblick in die vielfältige Welt der Medien und vermittelt Tipps und Hilfestellungen zum richtigen Umgang mit ihnen." (Verlagsbeschreibung Loewe Verlag)
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