With the support of Porticus, Maldita.es, together with The Guardian Foundation, which specialises in educational content and is based in the United Kingdom, and the fact-checking organisations Correctivin Germany and deCheckersin Belgium, will design educational content that users will be able to access through each organisation’s WhatsApp chatbots.
The project will make available to the public up to 10 short courses on disinformation, critical thinking, fact-checking and news consumption, delivered in short, high-impact audiovisual formats designed to improve participation, learning and knowledge retention. The courses are aimed at three age groups: 18–30, 31–60 and 60+.
We know that disinformation is increasingly circulating in private communication spaces such as WhatsApp. In Spain, 81% of people use WhatsApp to stay informed, compared to 72% in Belgium and 65% in Germany. At the same time, according to studies from different sources, disinformation is a major concern in the European Union: 64% of the population in Spain are worried about disinformation, according to IBERIFIER; 84% of Germans believe that deliberately spread online disinformation is a major threat to German society, according to Bertelsmann Stiftung; and four out of five Belgians consider “fake news” to be a serious problem, according to Deloitte.
“This project aligns with the mission of Fundación Maldita.es and follows our strategy of fighting disinformation by building trust and using existing technology to reach more people, including spaces where disinformation might otherwise remain hidden. We believe microcourses are an effective way to deliver clear information and strengthen our audiences’ knowledge,” explains Clara Jiménez Cruz, CEO of Fundación Maldita.es.
Once the courses have been designed, the project also includes the development of an online and offline campaign tailored to each context, with the aim of ensuring that more people acquire tools to fight disinformation. The project, for which Fundación Maldita.es will receive 73,687.50 euros, will run for 12 months.
Who funds this project and with how much money?
SEMS Europe is a project funded 100% by Porticus, a philanthropic organisation based in the Netherlands focused on creating a fair and sustainable future, with the aim of strengthening community resilience. The total amount of funding is 150,000 euros.