This autumn, journalists of the German regional broadcaster\nWestdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) are teaming up with the award-winning European\nnews literacy project “Lie Detectors” to launch an initiative about\ndigital disinformation and the workings of professional journalism for students\nin Bonn and D\u00fcsseldorf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To kick off, WDR journalists will attend a train-the-trainer workshop\nrun by the non-profit organization Lie Detectors. They will be trained to\ndeliver interactive sessions about exposing digital hoaxes and understanding\nthe workings of quality journalism to children and adolescents aged 10-15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From November 2019 to Easter 2020, journalists will be connected to and\ndeployed in schools. If required, teachers and students will also be provided\nwith educational material for follow-up. There is no cost to the schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are extremely keen to engage in a conversation about what fake news\nis, how it comes about and how falsehoods can be deciphered,\u201d WDR\neditor-in-chief Ellen Ehni said about the joint project with Lie Detectors. \u201cIt\nis important to let viewers and users know early on how easily they can be\nduped, but also that in-depth and serious journalism counters such manipulation\nand makes a valuable contribution to our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WDR has already been involved in school visits raising awareness about\ndisinformation since the beginning of the year. These are now to be continued\nwith Lie Detectors in a more intensive form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lie Detectors works in three countries. It is active in Germany, Austria\nand Belgium, in German, English and French. The project was awarded with the\nDigital Skills Award 2018 in the field of education by a jury appointed by the\nEuropean Commission – a distinction highlighting the fact that the project can\noperate in different languages and schools across Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Above all, it is important to arouse interest and curiosity in the\nclassroom, to teach children and adolescents why disinformation plays a role in\ntheir lives, and that there are tools to deal with it,” says Lie Detectors\nfounder Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck, an award-winning journalist who runs the\nproject from its headquarters in Brussels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The cooperation with the WDR is a wonderful opportunity to send\njournalists in North Rhine-Westphalia to classrooms outside of the media city\nof Cologne,” says Charlotte Carnehl, who heads the organization’s German\nprogramme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The majority of students are already surfing on the internet and on\nsocial media and take on a lot of what circulates as \u201cinformation\u201c. With the\nhelp of participating journalists, the Lie Detectors project encourages\n10-15-year-olds to develop their own media literacy skills in times of\ninformation overload. This will allow them to examine information independently\nand also to get an overview of how professional journalists collect, select and\npresent facts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lie Detectors is a non-profit organization that is philanthropically\nfunded and accredited by the Belgian King Baudouin Foundation. As an advisory\nmember of European expert groups, the organisation is also committed to the\nsystematic inclusion and uptake of news literacy in curricula at schools and\npedagogical colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are interested in a school visit: Teachers and school social workers are welcome to contact Lie Detectors: just write to Charlotte Carnehl charlotte@lie-detectors.org<\/a> or Margit Langenbein margit@lie-detectors.org<\/a>. Teachers only need the following for a Lie Detectors visit: 90 minutes, a beamer, a blackboard, ideally Internet access and, of course, bright students of the 5th\/6th grade and 8th\/9th grade. In addition, one or more desired dates, and you must be present during the visit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n More information about Lie Detectors<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n