Fighting the online Post-Truth conspiracy
▶Summary
The decision to apply for this project was motivated by the growing global impact of fake news, which has proven to influence major societal decisions. According to several studies, the influence of fake news in the U.S. elections was not an isolated event. As defined in Chulvi (2018), the acceptance of Brexit in Great Britain and the Colombian rejection of the peace referendum are also examples of how disinformation can shape political outcomes. Additionally, political parties worldwide have increasingly exploited fake news to sway public opinion, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, when fake news circulated widely in Spain and Ireland, undermining trust in governments. This project addressed these needs by fostering critical thinking, a transversal skill essential in European curricula. University students were targeted as they are regular social media consumers and exposed to the bombardment of information. Teachers were also included, as they play a key role in shaping students’ critical thinking skills. By addressing these needs, the project aimed to contribute to a better-informed and resilient society capable of tackling fake news.
▶Objectives
The main objective of this project was to develop critical thinking skills among university teachers and students of different educational degrees, emphasizing that they had to be critical with the information they received, as they were the main shapers of the society of the future. In order to develop critical thinking skills, the project proposed to work on the subject of fake news. To this end, the project developed an online In-Service Training and an Interactive Environment that addressed these issues.
▶Activities
The project is divided into four work packages: Project Management (WP1), NEWSpiracy In-Service Training (WP2), Fake News Detector Interactive Environment (WP3) and Dissemination and Outreach Activities (WP4). Each work package has a number of activities selected and divided among all partners according to their expertise, including content creation activities; assessment activities, both internal (partners) and external (piloting phases); dissemination and impact activities, among others.
▶Impact
A Tutor Handbook in Flipbook format (https://newspiracy.eu/tutor-handbook/) was created to train university teachers, and an In-Service Training on an LMS platform (https://learning.newspiracy.eu/course/index.php?categoryid=1) with interactive and gamified content was designed to train students of different educational degrees on fake news. An Interactive Environment (https://newspiracy.eu/truth-track/) for writing and commenting on news was developed. Newsletters (https://newspiracy.eu/category/news/) with the project's progress were published every six months. Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094421087331) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/newspiracyproject/) profiles were established to disseminate the project. A project website (https://newspiracy.eu/) was launched. A branding image and logo for the project were designed. Multiplier events were held in each partner country.