(Image source from: TheDrum)
To fight back against disinformation and fake news, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has devised a new campaign with a major focus on global media literacy, including workshops and debates in countries like India.
The Beyond Fake News project, which officially launches on Monday, will comprise panel debates in Kenya and India, hackathons investigating technology solutions, and a special season of programming across the BBC's networks in India, Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe, the United States, and Central America.
The Beyond Fake News media literacy programme has already started delivering workshops in India and Kenya, drawing on work to address disinformation in the United Kingdom, where digital literacy workshops have also been conveyed to schools across the country.
"In 2018 I pledged that the BBC World Service Group would move beyond just talking about the global 'fake news' threat, and take concrete steps to address it. We have put our money where our mouth is and invested in real action on the ground in India and in Africa," said Jamie Angus, Director of the BBC World Service Group.
"From funding in-depth research into sharing behaviors online, to rolling out media literacy workshops globally, and by pledging to bring BBC Reality Check to some of the world’s most important upcoming elections, this year we're carving our path as a leading global voice for spotting the problems, and setting out ambitious solutions," he said.
The BBC has also carried out wide-ranging research into how and why disinformation is shared after users gave its researchers unparalleled access to their encrypted messaging apps in India, Nigeria, and Kenya. The absolute findings of the research will be made open following week to co-occur with the launch of the Beyond Fake News Season.
The season will include 'Fake Me', a documentary showing in what way young people will go in pursuit of social media flawlessness. There will also be reports on Russia's disinformation campaign, how Facebook is being exploited in the Philippines to spread false information, and a give-and-take with some of the world's big tech firms on what role they play in stemming the spread of "fake news".
The BBC said its new season brings stories from across the world on Television, radio and online, drawing on the expertise of its international network of journalists.
By Sowmya
