Online fake news and disinformation: recognize and verify

The virtual part will have the following activities: - online lecture and class discussions about online disinformation and important related concepts and, also, about the gatekeeping and gatewatching paradigms from the perspective of selecting and publishing journalistic information and the impact of disinformation and fake news in recent scientific research; the political-economy of disinformation and fact-checking, an overview of the producers of disinformations and their motivations, and of the funding and organisation of fact-checking (4 hours - 10 oct., 17 oct.); - online lecture and class discussions about the influence of cognitive biases on the credibility of disinformation and fake news (2 hours - 24 oct.); - online lecture and class discussions about the instrumentalization of emotions in fake news and critical discourse and, also, how emotions work in discourses and how we can use them to fight against the disinformation (2 hours - 31 oct.); - online lecture and class discussions about manipulation techniques in the digital environment (The "Lund" Model) (2 hours - 7 nov.); - online lecture and class discussions about disinformation and hate speech in international organisations, models of regulation among "Digital Empires" (2 hours - 14 nov.); - online lecture, class discussions and practical activities using the "Three Step" Fact-Checking Method for text, photo and video (4 hours - 21 nov., 28 nov.). Learn how to spot and debunk online fake news and disinformation

Application Deadline

Virtual Part starting date 2024-10-10

Virtual Part closing date 2024-12-19

Total student workload 120

Specific field of studies Communication sciences

Pre-requisite for selection Motivation Letter

Academic pre-requisites for applicants '- media and communication

Physical Part starting date 2024-12-02

Physical Part Description The physical part will have the following activities: - face-to-face class discussions on regulations and legislative approach to disinformation (2 hours - 2 dec); - face-to-face lecture and class discussions about fake news hits (2 hours - 2 dec.); - face-to-face lecture and class discussions on digital footprint, personal data, data protection and cyber security for journalists and discussions about the "Cambridge Analytica" and "Schrems vs Facebook" case studies and about a documentary related to the topic ("The Social Dilemma", "The Great Hack" or another) (4 hours - 3 dec.); - face-to-face lecture and class discussions on the pre-publishing/broadcasting (ex-ante) and post-publishing/broadcasting (ex-post) information verification techniques and presentations of The International Fact-Checking Network and The European Fact-Checking Standards Network and, also, of the international, European and national fact-checking platforms (2 hours - 3 dec.); - face-to-face lecture practical activities and evaluation of fact-checking activities (8 hours - 4 dec.); - face-to-face field visit to a fact-checking service newsroom (4 hours - 5 dec.); - face-to-face visit to The Romanian Palace of the Parliament (3 hours) and The Cotroceni Palace (the official residence of the President of Romania) (3 hours - 6 dec.).

Physical Part closing date 2024-12-06

Language level required B1

Field of studies related to the course Social Science and Humanities

Course location Bucharest

Course language English