One of the courses at The FDVDR Summer School was about fake news and how we combat this phenomenon. Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania is organising the following extracurricular educational programme : FDVDR Summer School.
The courses held in the first week of August focused on reading and communication and brought together media and education specialists to combat the phenomenon of fake news.
Among them was TV producer Ela Crăciun, book author and one of the most appreciated parenting bloggers in Romania, who joined the team of professionals of Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania.
According to a survey by Save the Children, 22% of young people believe that fake news cannot be broadcast on TV or in news publications. In this context, Ela Crăciun and Ramona Mezei, the coordinating teacher of the FDVDR Summer School course "How to beware of fake news", explained to the students how to recognise fake news, identifying the types of misleading content found online and in the media.
The trainers stressed the importance of developing critical thinking in the fight against misinformation and spoke to participants about the impact of this phenomenon on behaviour and perception of the world.
"It is important to discuss, raise awareness and contribute to finding solutions and ways to manage this phenomenon. As parents, teachers, mentors, we have the role of guiding the child and we have to give them all the support they need. I am glad to have the opportunity to help children and young people understand how their behaviour is influenced by the news they consume. This is why I decided to join the educational programme developed by Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania", said Ela Crăciun.
Fake news or cultivating a critical spirit in the face of misinformation?
The course was an excellent opportunity to combine the expertise and extensive experience of trainers Ramona Mezei, Director General of the Bucharest Metropolitan Library, Associate Professor of the University College of Media Production "Spiru Haret" Bucharest, and Ela Crăciun, in order to create an enjoyable and instructive learning environment for participants in the FDVDR Summer School.
"Fake news is written and published with the intent to mislead, for the purpose of damaging the reputation of an agency, entity or person, as well as for financial or political gain, often using sensational, dishonest, or simply fabricated headlines to increase readership, spread online, and revenue through Internet clicks.
According to her, misinformation is everywhere.
"There has been a lot written about misinformation. It's the new dark reality of our increasingly technologically advanced world that makes you trust what you are seeing more than ever. A lot of fake news is spread through social media. They show up in your Facebook feed, Instagram timeline or YouTube playlist," said Ramona Mezei.
Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania is organising the 3rd edition of the FDVDR Summer School, the most complex extracurricular education programme in Romania, from 10 July to 27 August.
Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania is a non-profit organization that for over 30 years has been developing and implementing educational projects that support, on medium and long term, the development of Romania. The mission of the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania is to promote human and professional values in the technical, scientific and social fields, economic, educational, cultural and artistic.
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