Education
Online Course: Become An Expert Fact Checker and Hoax Buster
Date: May 15, 2017 – June 25, 2017
Learn the Latest Tools and Tactics for Identifying Fake News and Propaganda From Top Experts in the Field
Fake news, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda — no matter what you call it, it’s clear that we have a major problem on our hands. As thousands are misled every day, affecting elections, attitudes, businesses, and more, the importance for each of us to improve our skills at detecting the spread of untrue information has grown. This is an intensive, e-learning course — led by one of Europe’s leading experts in digital verification — to teach you how to effectively recognize fake news and expose inaccuracies through training in the latest online tools and techniques. Participants will also gain a background in the roots of disinformation and how it works, as well as best practices in debunking and communicating the truth around misinformation.
By the end of the course, you will, yourself, become an expert in this growing field.
- If you are a journalist, you will be able to serve as a leader in your newsroom in uncovering hoaxes and telling your colleagues how to do so;
- If you are a student, you will have a new set of high-demand skills to offer prospective employers; and
- If you are an ordinary citizen, you will be able to play a valuable role in your community in identifying falsehoods before they circulate further.
Alastair Reid will lead this six-week-long online course, which will feature weekly sessions, plus two guest lectures.
Exact days of the week for the sessions will be determined by the instructor in discussion with the participants.
Starting Date: Week May 15
Ending Date: Week June 19
If you are interested in taking this course, please, click here to apply. Application deadline: May 12 th, 2017
Scholarships are available for working journalists from Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Fluent English is a requirement. Support is provided by the U.S. Embassy in Prague. Deadline for scholarships: May 9th, 2017
Tentative Schedule of Sessions
Session One: The different types and sources of misinformation.
Session Two: Introduction on how to debunk stories and how to get set up to monitor how stories spread.
Session Three: A guide to the different tools and techniques used to identify misinformation, including finding the original version of a picture or video and investigating a source.
Session Four: Geolocation; questioning the time and date; understanding shadows.
Session Five: Best practices in debunking and communicating the truth around misinformation; tracing the sources of misinformation.
Session Six: Investigating websites, networks, and individuals distributing fake news stories
Session Seven: To be confirmed.
Session Eight: To be confirmed.