What is disinformation? What principles drive the spread of false content online? And how does artificial intelligence factor into this scenario?
On May 27, the European Newsroom held a webinar addressing a critical topic for journalists and media practitioners: the rise of disinformation and fake news on social media and other online platforms. The webinar’s objective was to enhance participants’ skills in quickly identifying misleading content and applying verification techniques in their reporting.
The intentional, interest-driven propagation of disinformation presents considerable challenges for mass media audiences and users of digital information ecosystems. This encompasses false and divisive narratives that sway public opinion, AI-generated images that provoke irritation and outrage, as well as manipulated content across widely-used social media channels. In this context, the foundational principles of journalistic diligence have become increasingly vital.
Julian Bohne, a Verification Specialist at dpa-Custom Content in Hamburg, provided participants with tools, tips, and techniques for identifying and debunking such content in the digital landscape. He began with the basics, illustrating how manipulated content is produced and explaining the principles guiding its distribution. The key takeaway: verification, source criticism, and contextualization are now more essential than ever for differentiating authentic content from manipulated material.
To translate theory into practice, he utilized examples from the daily editorial activities of Germany’s largest news agency, dpa, to showcase essential verification methods and tools. Throughout the webinar, participants engaged in analyzing and verifying images and videos to determine if and why they were fabricated or AI-generated.
Participants hailed from various European Newsroom agencies, including ANSA (Italy), AMNA (Greece), BTA (Bulgaria), PAP (Poland), EFE (Spain), and FENA (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
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