In Latvia, a number of media literacy projects are created each year with funding from the state budget and international partners. Initially, several years ago, the crucial aim was to fill the void in this field. However, how influential and sustainable are the media literacy projects created in the last three years, and what are their main shortcomings? This was clarified in the quantitative evaluation of the projects and the survey completed by their creators.

Ever found yourself thinking, "How on earth do I connect with these Gen Z folks?" Well, look no further – you've landed in the right place! Watch this video recording from a recent, engaging Q&A session with our Comms Expert on Gen Z, Berina Bulatović, and tackle the perpetual challenge of improving your organization’s communication with the younger generation.

The need for objectivity, neutrality and balance in journalism is a daily challenge for professional media, but one of the biggest challenges to media professionalism comes with the elections. The election process presents a challenge for the media, as it puts into focus their purpose to offer citizens access to all facts, opinions and ideas in the campaign. Journalists must also ensure access to the media so that citizens' voices can be heard beyond the words of political debate.

Today, we would like to share with you an important awareness-raising campaign - a case study from the Local Action Plan carried out by our TechSoup Trainers.

The population across the European Union is ageing. This is a fact that is more often looked at as a problem, rather than an opportunity. However, it is time to reverse the perspective. One of the main problems especially in countries like Bulgaria, is that opportunities are not given and sought for the active inclusion of the elderly in public life. Due to the digitalization of the world a big part of social debates has migrated to the digital space. Elderly people want to participate and be heard.

Logical fallacies and cognitive bias go hand in hand. It takes critical thinking skills and positive self-doubt to avoid these traps that contribute to stereotyping, stigmatization, misrepresentation, and other negative outcomes of the lack of media literacy skills. This is the fourth article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we explore the intricacies of the human mind and the potential traps in decision-making, while reminding you of 12 common cognitive biases and 10 logical fallacies that often shape our understanding of information.

Critical thinking is the ability of an individual to recognize or evaluate and critically analyze a particular issue. Critical thinking develops from an early age, and every person acquires it on an individual basis. To determine if we have critical thinking, we must acquire skills for observation, analysis, interpretation, reflective thinking, evaluation, conclusion, explanation, problem-solving, and making the most appropriate decisions, writes Portalb.mk.

Until a few years ago, online shopping was primarily associated with tech-savvy individuals or used for specialized products. However, nowadays, online shopping has become a normal part of our daily lives. Entrusting personal banking information to the online realm no longer sounds as daunting as it did a decade ago. Although online money transfers through banks are more secure than ever, it doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious about spending money online.

The advent of the internet, and social media platforms in particular, has fundamentally changed how we engage with the world, including how we communicate, socialise, learn, work, and participate. While this has presented significant opportunities for the right to freedom of expression, it has also raised several pressing challenges regarding the dissemination of information online, more especially during an election period.

Not all time spent online is a time well-spent (let’s be honest – more frequently it’s not even time well-wasted). While media literacy skills are crucial for understanding and structuring the great wave of information coming our way every day, doing it while maintaining a healthy relationship with technology is another matter. This is the third article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we explore the psychology behind online interactions, as well as provide tips for digital well-being.

At the beginning of 2024, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still trending. We observe new tools, upgrades, and public discourse focusing on the hyped generative AI. As most of the focus is being placed on the technological level, the ethical and societal contexts of AI use need more attention from the perspective of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

In this video, the Metamorphosis Foundation shows what propaganda actually is and where and how it shapes opinions even today.

Media literacy is the key to navigating the vast sea of information that surrounds us. This is the second article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we remind you of the very basics of media literacy. In this article, you’ll find a concise recap on what the five core concepts of media literacy are, as well as a more detailed explanation why representation matters.

The influx of media content in cyberspace sometimes makes us, as readers, seek information that is different from the rest. For the public, it is crucial to “discover” something new that brings fresh insights into certain important societal issues or questions of personal interest to individuals. However, sometimes behind the “new things”, we see bombastic headlines, spectacular claims unsupported by evidence, unconfirmed or unofficial information, as well as disinformation that can cause more harm than lead to positive change in society.

The concept of “think before you click” is one of the most important factors in terms of information safety. This regards everything that is offered to you on social networks, the advertisements that pop up as you read a text on a web-page, links that “invite” you to open them as you are watching a YouTube video, and the "like" button.

The field of social media is constantly changing. We observe them both as users, but also as citizens. Social media platforms are a tool for influencing consumer and civic decisions. We invited Katarzyna Szymielewicz (Panoptykon), a lawyer specializing in human rights and technology, to discuss how large platforms work, how they affect the functioning of individuals and groups, and what changes we can observe in the near future.

Discussing anti-Western narratives is a hot topical issue nowadays, but not a new one - just as propaganda is not an expression of our times, but has a long history behind it. I will not talk about the general course of anti-Western propaganda in Eastern Europe and especially in Romania, but about my personal experience with this field and the sometimes arduous process of countering it with honest and transparent means.

The 2015-2017 period, that brought us Brexit and Donald Trump with his “alternative facts”, also brought politicians the revelation that lying is detrimental to one’s career only if one admits to lying, when one gets caught.

Almost all the news this year has been dominated by the development of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in general, its various uses, and concerns about the new technology. In this article, we try to summarize where ChatGPT can help a non-profit organization in its tasks and what it cannot be trusted with.

Online violence involves using digital technologies to perpetrate acts of violence. This can occur on social media platforms, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and mobile phones. According to UNICEF, it refers to repeated behavior aimed at intimidating, angering, or shaming those it targets.

The number of online purchases by Macedonian citizens is increasing, and concurrently, scams targeting citizens shopping on virtual stores are proliferating. To avoid "emptying" credit cards through scams, there are several recommendations that we, as citizens, should follow when making our online purchases.

The purpose of this community-building event was to provide and promote truth, and accuracy in information dissemination to form a collaborative network, equip the community with tools, and knowledge to combat disinformation, and share best practices to enable participants to learn from the subject matter experts to maintain informed citizenry.

MAKAIA had the privilege of participating in the regional event FITS Democracy 2023, where important topics regarding disinformation, polarization, technology, and innovation were discussed, all within the context of Latin America and the Colombian Caribbean.

The influx of media texts, videos, photos, as well as social media posts, nowadays is immense, as they constantly appear on our devices through which we communicate on the internet daily. Bombastic headlines and announcements of spectacular discoveries in such content often lead us to forget one of the fundamental rules of creating media content — the signature of the author behind them.

Hive Mind Community Podcast on the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence for NGOs and Civil Society Members (CSOs).

Two headlines of news articles appear to you simultaneously: the first one reads, “Wonderful Weather Today!” whereas the second one announces, "Terrible Storm Is Approaching the Country!". Which headline would you click on?

In Poland, historians have written extensively about conspiracy theories - this fact provides an additional argument to teach about the problems that conspiracy theories cause in the era of revision of history in many European countries. What are the most bizarre conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine that you have encountered so far?

How do different opinions appear in the media? Is there a place, a space for differences of opinion? What opportunities do we have as civilians to publish our own narratives?

Polarization is a process that occurs on psychological and emotional grounds. The radicalization of groups leads to the radicalization of language on highly controversial and socially divisive topics. One of the most polarizing places on the Internet are Facebook groups (often run by the party involved in the conflict), where discussants reassert themselves, fuel a spiral of insults, ridicule, and hate speech, or even use language that dehumanizes opponents.

Social media and online spaces are dominated by visual contents. Whether as part of a news story or as viral content, it is now extremely easy and common to manipulate and mislead readers. Although this can be done with relatively little knowledge and easily accessible tools, it is often amateurish or of particularly poor quality that fools users.

In this article you can find out more about the "Free January" campaign of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ)

Disinformation and online manipulation is a widespread issue, targeting a number of minority groups based on gender, sexual expression, race, age, and more. In light of the rise in politically driven attacks on the rights of LGBTQI+ persons, it's critical to counter disinformation in order for them to receive treatment for physical and mental health, sex reassignment procedures, and have safer spaces in schools and communities.

Open call for civil society organizations, independent media or journalist and digital activist of Latin America.

In the effort to counter disinformation and improve media literacy, there are several known models for verifying if news articles accurately represent facts and events. However, nowadays, a significant part of communication is informal, for example in the form of social media posts. In such informal forums, misinformation continues to spread with the help of influencers. A new model is thus needed to analyze this type of media content.

We share the investigation and educational web series created by DIP

Research findings show that people cannot tell the difference between false and real news. This problem also affects Kosovo society, which has a high percentage of internet access (93%). One of the signs that disinformation influences the public in Kosovo is the outcome of the Raka case which is explained below.

How eye witnessing and capturing the spur of the moment prevents disinformation

Fake news is used to manipulate and dictate and shape their decision making. Fake news can damage our public discourse. We need to raise awareness and understanding of disinformation and be mindful that our freedom of expression could harm others. The time is now to verify all information.

As part of the Empowering Europeans Against Disinformation (EEAD) project, we are happy to invite all interested educators residing in Europe to express the interest and take part in a 2-day onsite Training of Trainers (ToT) on Countering Disinformation and Building Positive Narratives in Warsaw, on April 19-21, 2023.

Artificial intelligence is changing and will change even more the way we live and work. This simulation of artificial intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans have made it possible for humans to be replaced by machines today in some fields. But what does this mean in the field of information and what could be the misuses that we should beware of?

The Mérték Media Analysis Workshop has been conducting a survey on news consumption and information habits since 2013 in Hungary. In this article, we summarise the results and lessons learned from the research, which can be important and useful for CSOs in their orientation and communication planning.

Phambano Technology Development Centre was founded in 2017.

Our aim is to provide sustainable technology-related solutions and support technology development among civil society organisations (CSO’s) that work on social justice issues across Southern Africa.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in West Africa will see improvement in digital literacy, security and safety as 15 digital activists have received training to help protect the civic space from cyber threats and attacks.

Cyberpsychologist Gordon Ingram explains the social and psychological consequences of the dynamics promoted by the Internet and social networks.

On Wednesday 16 November 2022, The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) organised the Launch of WACSI Nigeria Node to build civil society resilience in Nigeria for the country’s development and to address the proximity challenge and especially make the Institute’s services readily available to organisations and civic actors that may not have the means to engage effectively online.

The reasons behind the behaviors that accept and promote disinformation.

Journalists and NGOs around the world have been working for countering disinformation through institutions, organizations, and associations called "fact-checkers" (or, simply: information verifiers), which are dedicated to corroborating and verifying the veracity of information and news disseminated on digital platforms. Fact-checking as we know it today was born with Factchecker.org, a website launched in December 2003 by Brooks Jackson, a former Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, and CNN reporter.

Digital revolution has greatly enhanced public vulnerability to manipulation by information. The trend is growing with every year and the term ‘fake news’ doesn’t cover all of its forms anymore. Find out what are the most common information disorders we encounter daily.

When you need to make an unbiased, rational decision about something important, try to be aware of your cognitive biases. They are a normal phenomenon in psychology of all humans, but as they may affect your judgement or decisions, it is worth acknowledging their existence and learning some methods of how to overcome their misleading effects.

We will navigate the characteristics and experience that the use of the Internet has left us as human beings and understand what we leave on the Internet.

It has become increasingly common to read news on the internet where young people participate in viral challenges that have harmful consequences for their health or even for the rest of their lives and those of their families.

Join us for a panel discussion about the current war-time disinformation landscape and learn about ways of mitigating its harmful effects.

In the international media market, the children's news programme is a television format with a decades-long history in many countries. This is a complex, mindset-shaping programme aimed at 8-12 year olds. In Europe, the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) “Newsround” and the German Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) “Logo!” are the leading examples.

Baby faces covered in chocolate, baby feet splashing in the water, cheeks soaked in crocodile tears. As we read the list, we might think of a post or story from social media that we sometimes encounter in the online space. But is it safe to share not only your personal information, but also that of a child who is in our care? What does it mean to be a responsible digital parent?

Strengthen your abilities to access and critically analyze information in digital media with the free and self-paced online course: "Think twice: media literacy Online"

Get to know an exciting joint European project that uses technology and research against online hate. From anti-vaxxers using Eriksen’s collapse at EURO 2020 to Russian propaganda on the war in Ukraine, their content is worth taking a look at.

With the dramatic increase of our digital footprint (in other words, the footprint of our activities in the online word, e.g. use of social media sites, emailing, blogging, accepting cookies on various websites etc.) data protection is not only an issue for large companies, but it is equally important for civil society organizations and individual users as well. However, while the former can often employ a whole team of security experts, in case of civil society organizations it is an issue that we have to deal with ourselves. Keep in mind that the most precious information today is data and identity, therefore it is especially important to protect them.

Russia's war against Ukraine is not only taking place on the battlefields and in besieged cities, but also in the information space. This was true even before the digital age, but war propaganda has reached a new level thanks to the possibilities of the Internet. Fake news, dubious images, videos, untraceable figures, battlefield results, not to mention conspiracy theories explaining the background to the attack.

In today's digital world, information warfare is significantly more pronounced. The war in Ukraine is also taking place on several fronts of the information world, in front of video games, TikTok, and that of fact-checkers. Therefore, the focus of journalists should be on news sources, in controlling them to avoid the possibility of fraud from manipulated information.

Social media is based on continuous positive feedback from other users on user messages. The operators of these platforms have an obvious interest in ensuring that users spend as much time as possible on their platforms, and to do this they have a wealth of data about what content is likely to be attractive to users. This leads to an increasingly strong conviction of the user's own truth in a community of positive feedback, even if that truth is based on completely nonsensical or deliberately manipulative facts.

A user's digital footprint is the set of data that the user leaves behind about him or herself in the digital world. Intentionally or unknowingly, every day we create and leave a lot of data in the digital space that gives us a picture of who we are, what we do, where we are in the digital world and why we do it.

Value, nowadays, comes in lots of different forms. We have traditional ones, such as time, power, security, health, and money. However, there is another, new form of value which is not yet fully understood: digital information. In this article, our aim is to raise awareness about how Facebook affects us and our loved ones on a daily basis, and how not knowing our rights and the help we can receive open us up to potential harm in the cyberspace.

Phishing is a serious threat in our modern world, and there is no knowledge passed down from generation to generation of how to prevent it. This knowledge we have to acquire ourselves so that we can pass it on to the next generation. The number of hacking and phishing attempts has been increasing from year to year, in direct proportion to the fact that more and more activities in our lives are moving to the online space – from work to having fun and to shopping.

Knowledge about disinformation is more important now than ever. Critical thinking is key and it’s worth supporting it with the knowledge on how to recognize different forms of information disorder.

Every day millions of people access the internet and browse through countless content within the reach of a few clicks. Children and teenagers are connecting more and more frequently, finding facilities to access information, knowledge and opportunities, while exposing themselves to different risks such as cyberbullying, sharing private information with strangers, sexual exploitation online, among others.

A survey recently conducted by TechSoup has revealed how social organizations around the world are working with data. At the same time, collaboration, communication and technological trends for the social sector explain the panorama where 5 major trends for the sector stand out.

Save the dates, mark your calendars and get ready to go! These are the five Media Literacy Events you simply cannot miss in 2022!!!

This article is a production of Ciudadania Inteligente (Ciudadania AI), a Latin American, inclusive and feminist organization that fights for social justice and for the transformation of democracies.

Social media platforms allow users to interact in a faster and easier manner. On one hand, this phenomenon helps establishing relationships and bonds beyond physical boundaries, leading to the exchange of information and content of all kinds. It is also not a secret that these platforms offer users tools for commercializing goods, products and services.

ESI Digital from JAAKLAC aims to promote Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE, ESI for its Spanish acronym) in relation to digital technologies to minimize online sexual risks among adolescents. The guide covers topics such as sexual and reproductive rights, digital education, internet risks in adolescence and digital safety strategies.

"If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking."

- R. Buckminster Fuller

We live in the Information Age. Our ability to synthesize and use information well is crucial to our fate and future well-being. Our Experts have been designing bespoke courses on topics that are relevant, set in a meaningful context and important. From making sense of the news online, to protecting your own or your organization’s digital safety and privacy.

We are happy to share with you a 10-episode video tutorial prepared by TechSoup Europe. We hope it will help you make eye-catching graphics for your content with CANVA: an online design and publishing tool available in basic version for free for everyone, and for nonprofits, also free of charge in the pro version.

"The Social Dilemma" movie has been made available by its makers for educators worldwide in a free, classroom-friendly, 40-minute format that can be screened during a single lesson.

Digital media strategies used by the Venezuelan government, especially propaganda, provide an ample example for the way different digital tools may be used for manipulation, public opinion disinformation and favoring a particular agenda.

In Hungary, when it comes to the analysis of news, fake news, or in general, any sort of medium, the most suitable subject is a media lesson to learn how to approach the topic. This subject, however, is riddled with so many problems in the already convoluted education system, that in 2020, in the first iteration of the latest National Curriculum, the subject almost got entirely removed.

Our friends at TechSoup Europe have prepared a comprehensive guide designed for trainers, educators, and organizations engaged in educational initiatives. Get our guide and learn how to convert your training from the offline to online format!

Here are some guidelines for your greater well-being as a media consumer. Yes, we are all media consumers. You got that correctly. In the following video, you will find a number of useful tips and tricks that will aid your digital transformation from a regular media consumer to a Media Literacy Expert!

These days, verifying information that we receive has become a must. By not verifying, then, we are putting ourselves at an outright risk of getting manipulated. So, it is more essential than ever, to put a big question mark at the end of every online message, especially when encountered on social media. It is crucial to keep that question mark until we can fully verify and eliminate doubts about sources' authenticity.

According to Peter Ditto from the University of California, one of the many reasons why people fall prey to the influence of misinformation lies in so-called motivated reasoning (MR).

If you’re still wondering why you need to be media literate (a skill that is in high demand today more than ever!), you’ll find the answers to this question in this short video. We have singled out the five most important reasons that will help you decide to start studying the media and their messages. The process is relatively straightforward, and you will gain all the necessary skills by simply following our channel. Let’s go!

3 online games that help you develop your media literacy skills

Do you ever look at the screen-time analysis on your smart phone and cannot believe the high number it displays? If not –great, but if you do –then this podcast is for you.

In this episode you will hear Jakub Górnicki talking to Kamil Śliwowski -

a Media Literacy, Open Educational Resources and Online Privacy expert.

Kamil explains how he has gone from becoming a techno-enthusiast to a real techie helping people better understand the negative effects of using technology...

Welcome to the Hive Mind podcast series: “Let’s Talk Digital Resilience!”, where we would like to offer you a chance to enjoy 5 meaningful conversations led by top experts in the field of media technology, online security, and digital wellbeing.

Critical thinking is a buzzword that we hear almost every day. Especially in times of false information and the infodemic that is surrounding us on an everyday basis. And even though we meet with this term regularly, it is still not clear to everyone what it actually means. A brief characteristic of critical thinking is that it is the ability to form one's own opinion based on acquired knowledge, experience, not only from one's knowledge, but also from other people.

Teenagers from Dream Factory acting studio created 8 raising awareness videos focusing on how to recognize Fake News, Deep News and how to behave when someone spreads misinformation, or simply is being abusive online.

Major dangers and media manipulation threats in the age of disinformation

A simple guide through the media jungle for senior citizens.

Only by mobilizing at the grassroots can democracies counter disinformation. It’s time to vaccinate citizens against the poison of digital warfare.

Manipulation, coercion, and preying on emotions – all have been a part of human existence probably since the very beginning. Naturally, some people are doing it better than others, and those at the other side of the equation, tend to fall victim to such schemes, and are left faced with the consequences of their often unassuming nature.

Media literacy continues to be one of the most debatable topics in our world today. Some big changes in the circulation of information in recent years, paired with the continuous impact of the media on our everyday lives, especially the new media, make the treatment of media literacy a necessity even for the most developed societies.

“Balkan history has been shaped by the territorial ambitions and disputes of the last century, and so has become a zero-sum game; it also has quasi-religious aspects, insofar as current debates reveal an implicit concern with purity and pollution underlying accusations around loyalty and betrayal. Grievances and disputes escalate; and (to pursue the game metaphor) there is no mechanism, in this case, by which both sides would agree to invest a referee with the authority to call the game fairly; the stakes are seen as too high,” says prof. Keith Brown

Learn to Discern (L2D) builds critical thinking and healthy habits for engaging with information, online and offline.

Missed any of our events, feeling like watching it again diving straight into the extra resources and materials? We've got it covered.

How many times have you faced the embarrassing situation of forever losing your precious data such as photos, videos, etc.? All of this either due to a little carelessness or maybe not even your fault? Are you being careful by always keeping a safe copy of your most valuable data, or are you just relying on your usual antivirus software to protect you against ransomware attacks?

Virtual Private Networks, also known as VPNs, are well known to our public as a very useful "tool" for circumventing the rules of certain streaming platforms regarding the geolocation constraints. Aside from "cheating" the service or platform, and making your favorite series, feature film, or podcast available, what else do we know about them? Can VPNs benefit us in other circumstances, professional or private, and why are they really important?

Do you sometimes ask yourself: how to help my teenage kid with homework? That’s perfect! Use this opportunity to show how to read laterally and effectively verify sources of information.

Phishing messages, spam, junk, and a host of other names. We have all, at some point, received such messages. From the infamous e-mails from the Nigerian prince to the most sophisticated types of targeted phishing. The bad news is: they are here to stay. What can we do about it?

In November young people, including youth councillors, members of school authorities, young social leaders, activists and NGO activists will be able to take part in webinars, during which they will organize and deepen their knowledge in the area of "disinformation". The webinars conducted by Anna Skocz will present ways to prevent disinformation and responsible use of media.

Recruitment for free online workshops in media education just started

Google’s Fact Check Explorer Is Fast & Generates Accurate Results In All Languages

Mobile Reverse Image Search In 3-Steps

The New Fact Check Explorer & A Step-By-Step Guide To Markup Tool

Guides, checklists, FAQs, reading lists and a debunk database