Enlightenment against fake news: event informed in Au/Hallertau!

Enlightenment against fake news: event informed in Au/Hallertau!

Au, Deutschland - in Au/Hallertau, an informative event for the week of democracy, which Andre Wolf from Vienna, an Mimikama employee, spoke out recently took place. Wolf captivated the audience with his lecture on the widespread problem of fake news and disinformation on social media. The Initiative was launched by Philipp Barthelme, the community youth worker, and Heidrun Hee, the head of the community library, to clarify the citizens: inside about the dangers of manipulative content and to promote their media literacy.

The interest in this topic is no surprise. Since Donald Trump's controversial victory in the US elections in 2016 and the Brexit referendum, awareness of fake news has increased. In social media, unreliable information is still spread, often by malicious actors, which was also discussed at the event. Barthelms emphasized how important it is to equip people with sound knowledge in order to counteract political acts of violence and manipulative content.

Enlightenment about fake news

Wolf said that social media users make users and receivers of information. He braised fake news into three categories: firstly fully invented content, secondly incorrectly interpreted information and thirdly real pictures or videos with misleading descriptions. Using descriptive examples, he showed how targeted false information is spread. A picture of a woman was incorrectly associated with an incident of migrants, while a picture of coffins of British soldiers who circulated in the context of the Ukraine War actually came from 2006.

An essential instrument for checking content presented Wolf the backlog search, a method that everyone can use to check the origin of images and thus counteract incorrect information.

The role of media literacy

Special attention dedicated to Wolf the importance of media literacy. The spread of fake news and misinformation shows how important it is to deal with media content critically. In order to reduce uncertainty and distrust in political and media institutions, sensitization measures are essential. Numerous studies show that politically committed groups are looking for information that supports their views, which can increase the spread of fake news.

In order to counteract this, it is advisable to consult different sources, check the sender and critically question the lurid language and contradictions in the information. For this purpose, Mimikama offers extensive information and tools on your website to train and sensitize the public in media literacy.

The discussion about fake news is also taken seriously from the European side. The EU has launched various initiatives such as "EU vs. Disinfo" to target disinformation. The "Digital Services Act" obliges online platforms to take proactive measures against disinformation and make risks transparent for users. Especially in times of crises when fake news reaches particularly quickly, it is crucial to clarify the citizens: inside about these risks and to provide them with the tools to recognize and combat disinformation.

Overall, the event was an important step to raise awareness of this urgent topic and to convey the necessary skills inside so that they can better navigate in the flood of information that we encounter every day. If you want to deal more intensively with the topic, you will find a variety of resources on the Mimikama website.

Further information on fake news and its effects can be found on Merkur , BPB and Deutschlandfunk .