Prensa Libre, Guatevisión, Poynter MediaWise and Meta launch free course against disinformation in Guatemala

2023-04-27 13:45:05

In an unprecedented alliance in the Central American isthmus, Free Press y Guatevision the course is launched from today “Learn to verify digital information”a project against misinformation that is part of the MediaWise initiative, from the prestigious poynter institutefrom the United States, and which has the support of Meta.

The course will be free and taught via WhatsApp and will empower Guatemalans with media literacy tips given by the presenter of Noticiero Guatevisión, Maria Luisa Gomezand the Guatemalan badminton player Kevin Cordonwho were selected as ambassadors of the project.

“Learn to verify digital information” lasts 10 days and includes five minute lessons per day with tips, techniques and guidance on how to navigate the internet safely and avoid misinformation.

Every day, participants receive a video that dives into digital media literacy topics, which includes topics that will teach you how to effectively talk to friends and family about the falsehoods being spread online.

The course can be accessed in two ways:

Through this URL: https://poy.nu/VALIDAR
scanning this QR code

Expansion in Latin America

The course arrives in Guatemala one year after it was developed in Brazil, France, spain and Türkiye, with prestigious media from those countries.

“It is more important than ever to be a critical consumer of online content. As Guatemalans head to the polls in June, we want to make sure they do so knowing the true facts.”, said the director of MediaWise, Alex Mahadevan, about the launch of the project.

The initiative MediaWise was created in 2018 to empower citizens by providing digital media literacy tools to those who use Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or TikTok.

The Stanford University, in United States; the university of Navarrain Spain, and the Higher School of Advertising and Marketingin Brazil, studied courses delivered in their countries by MediaWise and found improvements in users’ ability to detect false or misleading headlines.

Commitment with Guatemala

MediaWise, with the support of Meta, partnered with Free Press y Guatevision for its ability to reach a wide audience.

In this regard, Doménica Velásquez, editorial director of Free Press y Guatevisionexpressed: “Disinformation is one of the main threats to societies and democratic systems, because people are very easy to manipulate and most of the audience is little aware of how present it is in their lives through their digital devices. ”.

He added that “the alliance with Meta and the Poynter Institute is an invaluable opportunity for Free Press and Guatevisiónwhy allows us to contribute so that millions of Guatemalans can acquire tools to identify and reject manipulated information”.

“If the media, the academy and the large content distributors achieve these initiatives with the most critical citizens, the quality of decisions will improve and, therefore, their quality of life,” he said.

Íñigo Fernández, director of public policies for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, from Meta, assured that digital literacy is one of the most effective ways to deal with misinformation on social media.

“We are excited that this course on WhatsApp is coming to Latin America to help Guatemalans read, watch and share content in a more critical and responsible way ahead of the general elections in June,” he said.

“This builds on other Meta initiatives to combat misinformation, such as the network of independent fact-checkers who review and rate false information on Facebook and Instagram,” he noted.

At the same time, María Luisa Gómez, presenter of Noticiero Guatevisión, explained that “disinformation is like a virus that spreads rapidly, negatively impacting society, undermining trust in institutions and informed decision-making, and putting democracy is endangered.

Kevin Cordón becomes the first Olympian to join the MediaWise ambassador program, and was selected for the empathy he has with Guatemalans and the discipline and commitment he has shown to compete throughout the Olympic cycle, where he has had outstanding performances .

World class allies

He poynter institute is a global non-profit organizationbased in the United States, which works to address society’s most pressing issues through professional journalism education, fact-checking, media literacy, and ethics.

the institute is high-level benchmark in journalistic excellence and is dedicated to the preservation and advancement of press freedom in democracies around the world.

Through Poynter, journalists, newsrooms, businesses, big tech corporations, and citizens agree to find solutions that promote trust and transparency in news and public discourse.

MediaWise is a social priority digital media literacy initiative of the Poynter Institute. The program teaches people of all ages and backgrounds how to responsibly interact with online content in the age of information overload.

With information from Brittani Kollar, MediaWise International Training Manager, Poynter Institute, USA.

The course can be accessed in two ways:

Through this URL: https://poy.nu/VALIDAR
scanning this QR code

Scan the code and you will receive a first message from the account “Arist” (Meta ally). You must send the “validate” code and you will receive a second chat with the Guatevisión logo, from where you will begin to receive the course.