Disinformation

Tools

  • Keywords:
  • Countering Disinformation
  • Disinformation
  • Journalists
  • Languages:
  • English

This toolkit is provided by the InVID European project to help journalists to verify content on social networks (please note that external InVID services used via this interface, such as those presented under the Analysis and Keyframes tabs, are not open-sourced). It has been designed as a verification “Swiss army knife” helping journalists to save time and be more efficient in their fact-checking and debunking tasks on social networks especially when verifying videos and images.

The plugin is available for Chrome and Firefox.

  • Keywords:
  • Countering Disinformation
  • Disinformation
  • Journalists
  • Languages:
  • English
  • polski

A conscise handbook for journalists on how to spot a fake, counter online disinformation and protect yourself from retaliation after debunking a fake story. "Deadling with Disinformation. A Handbook for Journalists" was prepared by Panoptykon Foundation. It's a result of a project carried out in co-operation with the Reporters' Foundation “Elections without Disinformation”, which included a series of workshops for journalists from local and national media, bloggers, activists. The project was realized in co-operation with Heinrich Böll Stiftung in Warsaw and Google Poland.

Available also in Polish here: https://panoptykon.org/stop-dezinformacji-przewodnik

  • Keywords:
  • Digital Security
  • Disinformation
  • Digital well-being
  • Privacy
  • Languages:
  • English

Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) is a guide to protecting yourself from electronic surveillance for people all over the world. Some aspects of this guide will be useful to people with very little technical knowledge, while others are aimed at an audience with considerable technical expertise and privacy/security trainers.

Posts

WEBINAR: Gender disinformation in social media

Do you know how to identify gender disinformation in social media? Do you know which are the biases, stereotypes and hate messages?

MAKAIA | 1 min read | Mar 3, 2023

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Empowering Europeans Against Disinformation (EEAD) - ToT Training

As part of the Empowering Europeans Against Disinformation (EEAD) project, we are happy to invite all interested educators residing in Europe to express the interest and take part in a 2-day onsite Training of Trainers (ToT) on Countering Disinformation and Building Positive Narratives in Warsaw, on April 19-21, 2023.

Hive Mind | 2 min read | Feb 27, 2023

ChatGPT and the inclusion of artificial intelligence in the world of (dis)information

Artificial intelligence is changing and will change even more the way we live and work. This simulation of artificial intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans have made it possible for humans to be replaced by machines today in some fields. But what does this mean in the field of information and what could be the misuses that we should beware of?

Dren Gerguri | 4 min read | Feb 24, 2023

The Pandemic of Misinformation: The Globalization of Disinformation in the Digital Age

The role of social networks in proliferation of manipulated information is already well established. One interesting aspect, that may need further attention, is the way social media fostered the globalization of false narratives allowing smaller, national media ecosystems to connect to more significant ones, to import and adapt narratives for local audiences. Interestingly, it is not Russia that is driving this phenomenon, but misinformation agents in the English-speaking countries, especially in the US and the UK.

Ciprian Cucu | 9 min read | Feb 24, 2023

Project launch: Empowering Europeans Against Disinformation (EEAD)

The Empowering Europeans Against Disinformation (EEAD) project is part of TechSoup Network’s Digital Activism Program.

Since 2018, the program has been offering complex support to civil society organizations (CSOs) and their staff in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Latin America and West Africa. In the area of countering disinformation, the program strives to increase their understanding of direct disinformation threats, strengthen their capacity to deal with disinformation, boost their knowledge in this field and expand their connections within the nonprofit network.

Hive Mind | 1 min read | Feb 17, 2023

What is behind the use of social networks? Webinar takeaways

Cyberpsychologist Gordon Ingram explains the social and psychological consequences of the dynamics promoted by the Internet and social networks.

MAKAIA | 3 min read | Jan 23, 2023

Why and how are we vulnerable to disinformation?

The reasons behind the behaviors that accept and promote disinformation.

MAKAIA | 3 min read | Nov 1, 2022

Fact-checking and fake news in the Colombian and Chilean context

Journalists and NGOs around the world have been working for countering disinformation through institutions, organizations, and associations called "fact-checkers" (or, simply: information verifiers), which are dedicated to corroborating and verifying the veracity of information and news disseminated on digital platforms. Fact-checking as we know it today was born with Factchecker.org, a website launched in December 2003 by Brooks Jackson, a former Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, and CNN reporter.

MAKAIA | 3 min read | Sep 30, 2022

Disinformation Trends in Central-Eastern Europe - key takeaways

It’s been more than 4 months since Russia escalated the war in Ukraine and we are most likely preparing for a long-term conflict with all its consequences.

Maja Durlik | 2 min read | Sep 29, 2022

Not Only “Fakes”: Popular Types of Misinformation

Digital revolution has greatly enhanced public vulnerability to manipulation by information. The trend is growing with every year and the term ‘fake news’ doesn’t cover all of its forms anymore. Find out what are the most common information disorders we encounter daily.

Hive Mind | 3 min read | Sep 8, 2022

The 6 Most Popular Traps Our Own Mind Can Lead Us to

When you need to make an unbiased, rational decision about something important, try to be aware of your cognitive biases. They are a normal phenomenon in psychology of all humans, but as they may affect your judgement or decisions, it is worth acknowledging their existence and learning some methods of how to overcome their misleading effects.

Hive Mind | 4 min read | Sep 8, 2022

Post-truth: lies that appear to be true

The term has taken the academic discussion of philosophers, journalists political scientists but is far from an intellectual discussion. It is present in our daily life and on our social networks.

MAKAIA | 6 min read | Jul 31, 2022

War-time Disinformation Landscape in the CEE 30.06 | 5 PM

Join us for a panel discussion about the current war-time disinformation landscape and learn about ways of mitigating its harmful effects.

Maja Durlik | 3 min read | Jun 15, 2022

Anti-NATO Disinformation Tactics from the War in Kosovo

“NATO intervention in the Kosovo war was unjustified”. This is the narrative that the Russian and Serbian propaganda has been trying to push forward for many years.

Dren Gerguri | 3 min read | May 12, 2022

What you should know about disinformation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

The war that is currently taking place in Ukraine has devastating consequences, but it is also more present in the media – both traditional and social ones than any other armed conflict in the past few years. In a webinar organized by MAKAIA (with support from TechSoup), guests from different parts of Latin America discussed the conflict and its context, its influence on the LatAm region as well as the propaganda and disinformation strategies used in the war – also targeting Latin America.

MAKAIA | 2 min read | Apr 19, 2022

The 4Ds Model to Recognize Disinformation

Disinformation techniques are numerous, but all of them can fall into one of those four categories: dismiss, distort, distract, or dismay. Here is the rule of thumb that will help you recognize, predict and prepare to counter disinformation.

Hive Mind | 4 min read | Apr 11, 2022

What are Echo Chambers and how to escape from one :-)

Information can come from various sources. Most often than not, you would pick up your smartphone or open your laptop and start scrolling through content; clicking on and sharing whatever looks interesting. However, it is good to know what is going on behind the scenes…

Hive Mind | 2 min read | Apr 4, 2022

Hate and Disinformation. What Can You Do When They Come For You?

If you run a campaign or simply post on your social media channels messages about the current situation, you should anticipate some hateful comments. There are certain ways to deal with trolls.

Hive Mind | 1 min read | Mar 28, 2022

Countering desinformation and propaganda during a war: a guide for the Russian-Ukrainian war

Russia's war against Ukraine is not only taking place on the battlefields and in besieged cities, but also in the information space. This was true even before the digital age, but war propaganda has reached a new level thanks to the possibilities of the Internet. Fake news, dubious images, videos, untraceable figures, battlefield results, not to mention conspiracy theories explaining the background to the attack.

Bécser Vera | 2 min read | Mar 24, 2022

Disinformation, Information Warfare on Several Fronts, and the Role of the Journalist

In today's digital world, information warfare is significantly more pronounced. The war in Ukraine is also taking place on several fronts of the information world, in front of video games, TikTok, and that of fact-checkers. Therefore, the focus of journalists should be on news sources, in controlling them to avoid the possibility of fraud from manipulated information.

Dren Gerguri | 4 min read | Mar 24, 2022

Torches of Freedom

Nearly 100 years ago, on Easter Sunday, a group of women with cigarettes in their mouths walked down the most prestigious street in New York - Fifth Avenue, doing what women were not supposed to do – smoking in public, which back in the day was "not appropriate”.

Katarzyna Sadło | 3 min read | Mar 7, 2022

Disinformation and 7 common forms of information disorder

Knowledge about disinformation is more important now than ever. Critical thinking is key and it’s worth supporting it with the knowledge on how to recognize different forms of information disorder.

Hive Mind | 4 min read | Mar 2, 2022

Dezinformacja w służbie Putina, czyli o tym jak nie wpaść w tryby machiny propagandowej: webinarium 03.03.2022 (czwartek); 18:30-19:30

Hive Mind | 2 min read | Feb 28, 2022

What are the basic types of disinformation?

Media ecosystems are used to categorizing all falsehoods as fake news. However, there are differences between the types of disinformation that abound in digital media. Sure, there are fake news, but there are also other categories of misinformation.

MAKAIA | 1 min read | Feb 18, 2022

5 concepts you should know about digital disinformation

On January 21, DFR Lab, Techsoup and MAKAIA officially launched Hive Mind for Latin America. In the webinar called "5 concepts you should know about digital disinformation", we shared together with CIVIX Colombia some tips for identifying information and the different learning opportunities available in Hive Mind.

MAKAIA | 2 min read | Feb 15, 2022

The Origins of the Data Scientist

Datos.Org, a foundation that supports social projects in Colombia with the power of data, talks about the birth of a profession greatly discussed today and what are the challenges faced by Data Scientists.

Julian Olarte | 5 min read | Jan 3, 2022

Narratives about refugees on the Polish-Belarusian border

A humanitarian crisis has gained momentum on the Polish-Belarusian border since August 2021. Alyaksandr Lukashenko, who rules in Belarus, has encouraged thousands of people from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and African countries to come to Belarus. He has done this through a deliberate campaign to disrupt the European Union. Refugees are being forced to cross the Polish border, and those who disobey are being beaten. People at the border have no food or water. Many, including children, have died. We will explore two popular anti-refugee narratives and learn about alternative or counter narratives that are worth spreading and using in discussions.

Beata Zwierzynska | 7 min read | Dec 9, 2021

How to Argue with Fake News Believers?

Whether it's about the ominous powers that can be lizard-people in the skin of public figures, foreigners out to destroy a country, or chips implanted by vaccines against COVID-19, fake news is spreading like wildfire on the Internet. It's not too much of a problem if you think that there are aliens lurking behind the exteriors of politicians, like in a bad B-movie.

But it can be a concrete danger to one's immediate environment to believe that coronavirus vaccines are harmful to the human body.

How do we tell our fake-news believing friends or loved ones that they should think again about these absurd misconceptions?

Mertek Media Monitor | 2 min read | Nov 10, 2021

Media Propaganda and Disinformation: The Venezuelan Case

Digital media strategies used by the Venezuelan government, especially propaganda, provide an ample example for the way different digital tools may be used for manipulation, public opinion disinformation and favoring a particular agenda.

MAKAIA | 7 min read | Nov 8, 2021

Do Students Learn about Fake News at Hungarian Schools?

In Hungary, when it comes to the analysis of news, fake news, or in general, any sort of medium, the most suitable subject is a media lesson to learn how to approach the topic. This subject, however, is riddled with so many problems in the already convoluted education system, that in 2020, in the first iteration of the latest National Curriculum, the subject almost got entirely removed.

Mertek Media Monitor | 5 min read | Nov 3, 2021

Information war against disinformation on the Polish border - how to process information on emotional, "hot" topics?

30 Polish editors-in-chief have recently published a joint appeal to lift the ban on journalists working in the eastern border areas in Poland, where a state of emergency was introduced due to the prolonged migration crisis.

Katarzyna Sadło | 4 min read | Oct 15, 2021

Detecting Fake Sites & Social Media Channels video by Oana Despa & Codruța Simina

In this short, educational video, Oana Despa and Codruța Simina talk about manipulation and fake news. Oana is the chief editor of Buletin de București and Codruța Simina is a journalist at PressOne, an independent media project very well known in Romania. In this episode, they meet online and together try to find out how to best identify fake sites or accounts in the social network.

Oana Despa | 2 min read | Oct 11, 2021

Who are the fact-checkers?

It is only human to defend ourselves when someone challenges us or our opinions. In case, however, when they have a clear proof that what we are saying is not based on facts, it is quite logical that we should not continue spreading false statements. If someone decides to do this, regardless of the consequences or harm this may cause, they should better watch out, as it's fact-checking time!

Dajana Markovic | 1 min read | Sep 28, 2021

Social Media Manipulations: Bots and Trolls, contaminants of the online public sphere

The large number of likes, comments or distributions does not mean that it reflects the real number of people involved in that interactivity. The online public sphere is often contaminated by Bots and Trolls.

Dren Gerguri | 3 min read | Sep 23, 2021

What is Fake News?

Here are some guidelines for your greater well-being as a media consumer. Yes, we are all media consumers. You got that correctly. In the following video, you will find a number of useful tips and tricks that will aid your digital transformation from a regular media consumer to a Media Literacy Expert!

Dajana Markovic | 2 min read | Sep 20, 2021

"Cheapfakes" As a Form of Video Manipulation. How They Can Be Made in a Few Minutes.

We are living in an era when we can see or hear things that a person in fact did not say. You can’t imagine what Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, is declaring in this video! Check it out and see if it's truth or fiction...

Dren Gerguri | 1 min read | Sep 6, 2021

Cheapfake as a dangerous propaganda tool: the case of a refugee from Kosovo

The case discussed in the article clearly shows that manipulating pictures has become an intentional propaganda tool, aiming to distort the truth. Any such cheapfakes are dangerous because they disfigure the reality, making people to believe something far from true.

Dren Gerguri | 3 min read | Aug 16, 2021

Disinformation and misinformation, a by-product of journalists' negligence to verify information

These days, verifying information that we receive has become a must. By not verifying, then, we are putting ourselves at an outright risk of getting manipulated. So, it is more essential than ever, to put a big question mark at the end of every online message, especially when encountered on social media. It is crucial to keep that question mark until we can fully verify and eliminate doubts about sources' authenticity.

Dren Gerguri | 4 min read | Aug 11, 2021

5 Reasons Why You Have To Be Media Literate

If you’re still wondering why you need to be media literate (a skill that is in high demand today more than ever!), you’ll find the answers to this question in this short video. We have singled out the five most important reasons that will help you decide to start studying the media and their messages. The process is relatively straightforward, and you will gain all the necessary skills by simply following our channel. Let’s go!

Dajana Markovic | 1 min read | Jul 30, 2021

"Project HOPE" - Podcast about a Game to Teach People How to Fight Online Trolls

In this podcast episode, you will hear Jakub Górnicki talking to Tomáš Kriššák about the Project HOPE, within which a set of tools in the form of an online game was designed to help people tackle negative consequences of the Internet and the social media, including cyber-bullying and propaganda.

Dominika Uzar | 1 min read | Jul 19, 2021

Checkbot - a critical thinking simulator for everyone

Critical thinking is a buzzword that we hear almost every day. Especially in times of false information and the infodemic that is surrounding us on an everyday basis. And even though we meet with this term regularly, it is still not clear to everyone what it actually means. A brief characteristic of critical thinking is that it is the ability to form one's own opinion based on acquired knowledge, experience, not only from one's knowledge, but also from other people.

Kasia Piotrowska | 4 min read | Jul 5, 2021

Media Literacy? A must-have 21st century skill.

Teenagers from Dream Factory acting studio created 8 raising awareness videos focusing on how to recognize Fake News, Deep News and how to behave when someone spreads misinformation, or simply is being abusive online.

Michal Prawdzik | 2 min read | May 28, 2021

Cheapfakes in the CEE Region - WEBINAR

Major dangers and media manipulation threats in the age of disinformation

Michal Prawdzik | 1 min read | May 24, 2021

Can I tell, Jiřina? - Case Study from Czech Republic

A simple guide through the media jungle for senior citizens.

Hive Mind | 1 min read | May 18, 2021

Turning Defense into Offense

Only by mobilizing at the grassroots can democracies counter disinformation. It’s time to vaccinate citizens against the poison of digital warfare.

Joseph Quinn | 5 min read | May 12, 2021

What to do when your kid’s teacher is spreading falsehoods?

Due to the ongoing pandemic the schools are closed, and do you, most likely have the privilege of working from home? Well, in this case, you probably have never been so present in your child’s “school life”, even if it’s currently limited to e-learning.

Patryk Zakrzewski | 4 min read | Mar 9, 2021

MEGAPHONE 2021 WEBINARS - Online Resources

Missed any of our events, feeling like watching it again diving straight into the extra resources and materials? We've got it covered.

Michal Prawdzik | 2 min read | Mar 9, 2021

Dren Gerguri | 4 min read | Jan 4, 2021

Who wants to brainwash you? Disinformation - how to recognize and defend yourself against it - a series of free online workshops designed for youth by Katarzyna Sadło. New dates: !!! 25 January - 15 February 2021!!!

We'd like to invite young people associated in non-governmental organizations, informal groups, dialogue bodies and activists acting on their own to free online training sessions on disinformation, recognizing it, preventing and counteracting its negative effects. The training is addressed to all those who understand the importance of disinformation in public life, who would like to learn more about the ways it works, get specific tools of recognition and methods of dealing with it. We also invite people who actively participate in public life (also at the local level) and therefore are most vulnerable to disinformation actions aimed at undermining their credibility and the trust of public opinion, necessary to effectively fight for the public good or the interests of the groups they represent.

Dominika Uzar | 2 min read | Dec 14, 2020

Organizations and disinformation - how to recognize, how to counteract. Free webinar and online training series.

Non-governmental organizations actively participating in public life, especially those that address topics considered controversial, or for some reason inconvenient for the authorities, business or influential circles, are increasingly becoming the target of disinformational activities aimed at undermining their credibility and depriving the public of the trust necessary for effective action. The victims of disinformation are not only the organizations themselves and the people associated with them, but also the recipients of false or manipulated information, who use it to shape their opinions on a given subject. How to recognize disinformation? How to prevent it? How to counteract its negative effects?

Dominika Uzar | 3 min read | Dec 2, 2020

Mark Semoil | 2 min read | Sep 1, 2020