Combating Lies and Disinformation with Information and Media Literacy Skills

In the second episode of the Infodetox podcast, we dive into the history of disinformation: from 19th-century newspaper fakes to viral WhatsApp messages. Lying has always been part of human nature, but fakes have taken on a new form today: they disguise themselves as reliable news, play on emotions, and create an alternative reality. Alena Romanyuk, head of the NotaEnot fact-checking initiative, talks about the mechanisms of fake dissemination: from pseudoscientific theories to anonymous messages citing a “source in the intelligence services” or a “second doctor.” And Vadim Misky, program director of the Detector Media NGO, will tell you how vulnerable children and teenagers are to such influences, and why it is important to develop media literacy skills from childhood.