The project aimed to improve higher education offers in fact-checking and information verification by creating a free, open-enrollment online course targeted primarily at future journalists and mass communication specialists, but also accessible to all HE students, practitioners, and adult learners. Our objectives were to: > Develop an improved fact-checking methodology that addresses existing criticism, incorporates technological tools, cognitive factors, and the construction of impactful narratives; > Provide immediate benefits to current journalists, fact-checkers, and adult learners through open-access resources; > Embed structured, beginner-to-advanced fact-checking education into the curricula of three HE institutions in BG, BA, and TR, with future expansion to RO and other countries; > Support media and information literacy, counter disinformation's negative effects on trust, political participation, and social cohesion; > Equip learners with critical skills valued by employers across industries and essential for personal resilience against information warfare. The course design emphasises contemporary, engaging content and project-based learning to maximise impact and practical application.
We applied for this project to address urgent needs in countering disinformation and building digital skills among young people and practitioners. Disinformation threatens education and democracy (Digital Education Action Plan, EC, 2018), while over 40% of young people believe critical thinking, media literacy, and democracy are insufficiently taught. Education must empower learners to critically assess and filter information (COM/2020/624). Eurobarometer 464 (2018) shows 26% of EU citizens feel unable to identify false information, with variation across countries (BG 41%, RO 15%). Media Literacy Index 2021 places BG, RO, TR, and BA among the lowest in Europe, exposing regional gaps and the need for action. Through this project, we aimed to: - Develop skills in fact-checking and information verification, focusing on Gen Z and practitioners; - Evolve HE curricula to integrate disinformation-related topics; - Identify, understand and recognise cognitive mechanisms of disinformation - Update fact-checking methodology according to the needs of current HE students (Gen Z), while introducing novel elements related to the cognitive mechanisms of disinformation.