EducationPress Release: Debunking Disinformation
FACTCZECH: A resource for journalists, educators and anyone who wants to improve their fact-checking skills
October 23, 2017
FACTCZECH is a new Czech language information resource on the topic of fact-checking, verification and so-called fake news.
On factczech.cz users will find practical tutorials, video games, quizzes, interesting articles, and links to further resources to help journalists, bloggers, trainers and anyone who follows the media and wants to improve their ability to identify potentially false or misleading information, and hone their verification skills. The resource is based on a fact-checking course created for journalism students at Charles University, Masaryk University and Palacky University, which was organized by Transitions during Spring 2017. Students had the opportunity to meet leaders in the fields of journalism, verification and digital research, both online and in person.
The first series of material is already available at factczech.cz, and more will be added over the next few weeks.
“The course was rated very positively by the students, and it would be a pity if more people could not get acquainted with it. That’s why we decided to translate the most interesting articles and videos into Czech and make them publicly available over the web. Next year, we will repeat the course, and open it up to more students, not just those studying journalism. We are also going to address a target group that is often neglected in this topic: seniors,” says Jaroslav Valůch, the Project Coordinator.
FACTCZECH is an initiative of Transitions, a respected organization based in Central Europe dedicated to supporting journalists and the media.
Recent surveys show that a quarter of the population of the Czech Republic believes false information they read online, and the influence of disinformation on democracy and free elections is a much-discussed subject. FACTCZECH is responding to an increased need for critical media literacy. “We are delighted that the topic of disinformation finally gets the attention it deserves. For us, and especially for journalists from the regions in which we operate, this is not new. In the post-Soviet space, fake news has been daily bread for the public for decades. Reversing misinformation is desirable, but we know that the most effective way to fight it is simply high quality journalism. We want to contribute to that through our project,” says Jeremy Druker, founder and head of Transitions.
The project was supported by a grant from the US Embassy in the Czech Republic.
Please visit factczech.cz, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to find out more.
For further information please do not hesitate to contact Jaroslav Valůch, Project Coordinator, at jaroslav@tol.org or on 702 170 427.
