Dublin-based hub aims to combat fake news campaigns in Ireland

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As a basic term, digital literacy refers to a person’s capacity to find, assess, and clearly transmit information on a variety of digital platforms. However, the concept of digital literacy in today’s circumstances goes much further. Digital literacy entails more than just technical knowledge and includes a wide and diverse set of skills that enable people to function and fully participate in the digital environment.

It is already clear that people without digital literacy skills will struggle to succeed in a technology-driven society. The business environment is rapidly changing as a result of digital and AI technologies, and today’s workers will undoubtedly need to continue acquiring new skills and adapting to changing fields of work on a regular basis.

The McKinsey Global Institute examined the types of employment that will be lost as automation, AI, and robotics gain momentum, as well as those that will be created. They identified 56 foundational skills and found that an increased competency in these skills is already linked to a higher likelihood of employment, higher earnings, and work satisfaction. Among those skills are digital literacy, understanding bias and seeking relevant information.

All these skills, however, are largely connected to widely spread phenomenon of misinformation and fake news. Teaching citizens how to recognize disinformation has become increasingly important as misinformation takes on new and widespread forms in the digital environment. One of the most powerful weapon in the fight against misinformation that cities have at their disposal is boosting the digital literacy of their citizens. 

Fake news has existed for as long as humanity, but it has been drastically accelerated by digital technology and the global media’s shift. The recent global crises the world has witnessed, such as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, only proved that societies were particularly prone to fake news in times of great uncertainty. Ireland and its capital Dublin have for a very long time been prioritising innovation and knowledge development. They have come up with a novel way to tackle this pressing issue.

According to the Irish Times, experts in artificial intelligence, misinformation and media literacy are joining forces in a new Dublin-based hub with the aim of combating disinformation campaigns in Ireland. Its objectives include improving public awareness and strengthening the detection and analyses of disinformation campaigns in Ireland.

According to the latest Deloitte Ireland Digital Consumer Trends survey, 57% of Irish consumers can’t tell the difference between real and false news, despite the fact that 86% believe fake news is a concern. Being able to recognize reliable information is becoming an increasingly demanding task in today’s rapidly changing circumstances, which is why cities are also responsible to join the global fight against fake news. The hub which is located at Dublin City University is expected to lead by example and inspire more similar initiatives in Ireland and in Europe. The Dublin-based hub is also a part of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO).

Dr Eileen Culloty, coordinator of the project, stated: “The hub aims to maximise the great work already being done to counter disinformation in Ireland while providing a means to collaborate with partners across Europe. The value of that is evident now amid the Russian war on Ukraine. EDMO has published a regularly updated list of fact-checks about the war and established a taskforce to coordinate responses.”

The EDMO Ireland Hub is one of eight European Commission-designated hubs to assist in the implementation of the European Digital Media Observatory’s operations. The hub located in the Irish capital will collaborate with a number of internationally renowned partners and experts on disinformation and digital literacy. Among them is also an experienced fact-checking team from The Journal, one of Ireland’s top news websites, which will also contribute to the hub’s activities and work to counter disinformation.

Widespread fake news in today’s digital environment has the potential to manipulate users for political or commercial gain. Being able to recognize and respond to fake news is becoming an increasingly important quality for a responsible citizen of today, which is why more similar initiatives could largely benefit all of us living in the digital age. (photo credit: Jorge Franganillo/Unsplash)